Dragoon Destinies: Shadows Over Crossroads
by BladedDragon
Summary: An ominous new threat has surfaced upon Endiness and now eight young dragoons under the guidance of the seven previous ones must win a race against time to prevent a new evil from finishing the work Melbu Frahma began. Continuation of Dragoon Destinies.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey everybody, I know it's been a long time since I finished the last part of this story. Hopefully since I finished up the main story project I was working on for a while, I'll be able to update this one more often. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing and for those of you who have waited patiently for this next installment.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon. All aspects and characters of the game are copyrights of Sony Entertainment. The only things I own are my own characters and the plot outside the original game. I'm not making money off of this; I'm just playing around in their world for fun.

Ghost Stories

The babbling brook in front of Remona was full of fresh, crystalline water, with which she filled her wineskin. Through the ripples Remona could see her wavering reflection. How like her she thought; ripples. Her life lately was one shockwave after another and she couldn't see anything clearly anymore. Everything was always in motion. Through the constant movement of the spring, she could clearly see her own sapphire eyes, and the misery they were reflecting back upon her. Now, she had been forced to leave her home, and she was almost completely sure she wasn't ever going to make it back. Her father had sent her on a mission to kill or recapture the Black Monster, neither of which she felt capable of doing.

"Don't linger. It gives things more of an opportunity to go wrong," Rose said simply, having noticed Remona's lapse into thought as she paused at the waterside. Remona shook her head and resumed collecting water.

Well, she thought to herself, there was one small hope. She had obtained an ancient power and an ancient wisdom to help her: the power of a dragoon and the aid of a previous one. Rose, was the first darkness dragoon that resided as a ghost in Remona's choker. Remona hadn't even had the first clue where to go about looking for the Black Monster, but Rose seemed to. She had told Remona about a man named Dart Feld, who lived in Serdio. She had said this man could help her. Remona wasn't keen on accepting assistance at all, let alone from a complete stranger, but at this point, she was willing to accept all the help she could get. She'd need it. She'd heard tales about her quarry's atrocities. Even the moonchild feared the demon . . .

The knight in Deningrad had called her the Black Monster by mistake. Remona knew she had probably looked terrifying with black fire burning like that around her, but she was no monster. More troubling still was the fact that if she had been mistaken for the Black Monster, it must have been as powerful, if not more so, and more horrifying than she had been.

Remona sighed and shook her head; she thought she would have been alone. A strange thing had occurred on her way out of Deningrad. She had met, of all things, another dragoon. Strange also was the fact that she had been extremely surprised, while Rose had not. It had been Rose that convinced Remona to accept the other dragoon's offer to travel together. Rose said that dragoons were called together when the time is right. That begged the question to Remona, when what time is right? What was supposed to be happening? Rose didn't seem to have an answer for that one, but her response was always the same. Be on your guard.

"One crisis after another," Remona mumbled harshly to herself, though her thoughts softened considerably when they turned to her traveling companion, Liora Deluvare. Liora, the new white-silver dragoon, seemed to be just as clueless to happenings as Remona herself. "What more do I need?" Remona said with a scowl as her mind returned to milling over Rose's information. In addition to the Black Monster and her father, now she also had to bear in mind that other, more dangerous things were in motion. But what could be worse than the Black Monster?

"You'll figure it out when the time comes, don't wrack your mind over everything at once, you'll go mad," Remona heard Rose say from behind her, as Remona noticed her reflection add to the water.

"Somehow, I'm getting the feeling that you're not telling me something and it's going to come back and bite me in the ass. What's next, a crisis of the world? You should know I have enough to deal with," Remona replied uneasily, "What, with a demon that I'm supposed to dispose of that scares God and all," Remona added sarcastically.

Rose sighed. "One step at a time, one thing at a time," she reminded.

Remona knew Rose was hiding something from her, it was an almost overwhelming feeling, but seeing as every time Rose told her something new it only seemed to add to Remona's long list of troubles, she decided not to press it any further for now.

Remona understood that her first task was going to be finding the man that Rose knew, pass on Leon's message and ask about the Black Monster. Rose had said that this "Dart" knew a lot about the Black Monster. From the impression Remona had gotten, the man had faced the demon before. Plus, seeing as this man was also a dragoon, it couldn't hurt to meet him.

"Just as I said before, be on your guard. I will share this much with you; I've already told you that new dragoons are called together when the time is right. That time usually entails something important, for good or ill cannot be said," Rose admitted at last with a vagueness that matched her physical being. Nothing about her was concrete at all, not even her body. That was the most irritating of Remona's current revelations.

Rose sighed as she eyed Remona's un-amused look. "You should ask Liora about her situation. She must have received her dragoon spirit from Miranda, seeing as she was the last bearer. I'm sure you're well aware of whom Miranda is and as such, she is privy to sensitive information. With Liora being her daughter, she might add some information that could possibly grant us more insight to the situation at hand," she suggested.

"I guess," Remona mumbled with displeasure. She never had been one to socialize and she wasn't especially nosy. She detested the thought of having to invade someone else's privacy because she so desperately valued her own. Maybe, she thought bitterly, being dragoons would give them something in common.

She had been traveling with Liora for almost four days now and she had to admit they did at least get along well. She would also have to admit that unless she was getting her hopes up, they did have the start of a friendship. In the short time she had known Liora, Remona had gotten a feel for a few of her companion's personality traits. Liora was a usually cheery person; she seemed to have a bright outlook on most things. It was odd to Remona because usually she would find such optimism annoying, but it seemed that Liora lightened her mood just by being around her and her positive outlook had quite an opposite effect. Something about it was calming, and it gave hope. Maybe it was because she was the closest thing to a real friend Remona had ever known. Liora was also very patient; she didn't seem to share Remona's growing sense of urgency. Either that or she simply didn't acknowledge it.

Much to her surprise, Liora had been completely frank and forthcoming, telling Remona all about herself seemingly immediately upon their meeting. Liora was on her way to Serdio to get a cure for Queen Theresa, whom had apparently fallen ill with some mysterious ailment. The news wasn't surprising to Remona, whom had seen the Queen on the balcony overlooking the tournament. She was very pale when Remona had seen her. Liora had also, as it turned out, left town because of a parent. She had, albeit reluctantly, told Remona some things about Sister Miranda when she asked.

Remona, on the other hand, had given Liora hardly any information about herself. She had only given the very basics of her predicament-she failed to mention the Black Monster or her father's cruelty. It wasn't that Remona did not trust her, for some reason if she had to leap into hell with Liora at that precise moment she would trust her completely. Perhaps it was because she felt guilty, but she didn't want to burden anyone else with her troubles when obviously they had enough of their own.

Remona was connected to Liora, of that she knew already and she also had the impression that Liora was the type of person that would go through leaps and bounds to help someone else when they needed it. That was the problem. Remona was sure that this Black Monster mess was going to be the end of her—and anyone else that was tagging along. She did not want anyone else mixed up in it because of her and neither did she want to spread the accompanying misery this mission brought her to anyone else, especially someone as kind and tender-hearted as Liora. If she found out mostly likely she would selflessly throw herself into Remona's quest and likely end up getting killed in the process. No one would die with their blood on her hands. Then she really would be a monster.

So to keep matters simple, Remona had told Liora she was simply going to Serdio to find Dart. Thankfully, Liora had been satisfied with this and hadn't pried any further. Remona was actually starting to hold a great deal of respect for Liora even though she hadn't known her for very long. She was considerate and that was what Remona admired above all else.

Rose had fallen silent again, obviously allowing Remona the peace in which to think. The teenage girl finished filling up the two wineskins she had brought before glancing back up at Rose. The woman didn't say anything else, so Remona assumed she had nothing left to say. Remona had been just about to leave when she saw something odd farther along into the creek-bed beneath the clear water's surface. It looked like a track of some kind. Following the same trail, Remona saw that it led onto the other side of the small stream and faded away as the tracks disappeared into the Evergreen Forest on the other side.

Liora and Remona hadn't entered the actual forest yet, but Remona knew that eventually they were going to have to. The tracks looked human-like, but were far too narrow and had a deeper impression at the ball.

"Rose?" Remona asked uncertainly, making the raven-haired woman look up from where she leaned against a nearby tree trunk. "What made these tracks?"

The ghost glided over to get a better look; her feet never touched the ground as she moved. "Hmm . . . .Well, they look like elf tracks," she answered.

"Elves?" Remona rephrased curiously.

"Dark Elves to be exact. They are nasty beings and very hostile towards humans. I've heard rumors that they live at the very back of the forest on the west side close to the mountains. I've got no idea what one would be doing this far out. I can tell you with certainty that these are very fresh, probably no more than a half-hour or so. Be extremely careful. The chances are high that it might still be around here somewhere," Rose advised.

Remona nodded. "I'm done here anyway. I got what I came for. I'm heading back now and I'll let Liora know too," she replied.

Rose nodded herself and suddenly returned into Remona's choker in a swirl of silver mist. It had happened at least four times since Remona had first learned that Rose resided in the necklace, but it still creeped her out when Rose did things like that.

Remona could make out Liora's corn silk blonde hair as she approached their small rest area and assumed with relief that she hadn't encountered any signs of trouble in Remona's absence. It could have just been that Liora was too deeply absorbed in her atlas, trying to map something out to notice anything that went on around her. Remona cleared her throat so as not to startle her, seeing as her white pine bow was propped up against a flat rock inches from her reach with her arrows just as accessible.

Liora looked up instantly at the sound of Remona's approach and her concentrated look turned into one of greeting. "I trust you didn't have any trouble finding the brook then, Remona?" she asked, letting her eyes vaguely flicker back to the atlas she had on her lap.

"None," Remona assured and handed the sacred sister's daughter her water-filled flask.

Liora managed a soft smile and a chuckle. "That makes one of us then. I've been having a good look at this map and I think I understand it; the only problem is that this atlas is twenty years old. Some of the minor rivers and things might very well have dried up since then," she informed.

"Why didn't you get a more recent map?" Remona asked curiously.

Liora shook her head. "Because there wasn't one to be had. This was the most recent and complete one the library had to offer and it was in the restricted section," she replied.

Remona smirked as a thought suddenly occurred to her. It felt strange to her, probably because it was the closest thing to a smile she'd done in a while.

"What's so funny?" Liora asked, watching Remona's facial expression change.

Remona's smirk broadened. "Librarian Ute is going to have a fit, possibly even a stroke if he knew where his precious book was now—in the wilderness, in humid air, and around dirt and all other manners of sediment. He was always very strict about me washing my hands before handling the books, especially the ones in the restricted section. No sir, not one speck of dirt was allowed, even by divine intervention, to come in contact with any book in his library," Remona replied humorously, mimicking the old bookkeeper.

Liora laughed. "Yes, he probably would. So you know Librarian Ute?" she asked in interest.

Remona nodded. "Yes. I occasionally shelve books and check them back into the records when someone's returned them. You know, just an odd job to earn a penny or two," the chestnut-haired teen answered. Remona felt a twinge of curiosity overcome her and she found herself actually asking Liora a question for once, something she wouldn't normally have done either. Usually she would have not asked anyone anything personal, she wasn't nosy in the slightest. When it came to personal questions she usually waited for people to tell her things themselves.

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know Librarian Ute personally? He'd have to be a good friend of yours to let you take a book out of the restricted section home with you. Did he let you borrow it, or did you wrestle it away from him, Soa, and a dozen guards?" she said playfully at the thought of little Liora fighting a small army of old men for the rights to the book.

Liora found Remona's statement amusing as well, because she seemed to be laughing to herself. "I'm sure if he knew where his book was now, he really would come after me, but yes, I've known Librarian Ute a long time. Probably because I feel like I live at the library, I've been there almost every day for the past ten years. Heaven knows I must have had a lesson on every topic in there by now," Liora replied with a small smile.

Remona's smirk lingered on her face a moment longer before asking Liora a question pertinent to their situation. "Speaking of topics, I'm assuming you've studied geography before, am I correct?"

Liora nodded. "Of course, why?" she asked hesitantly.

"Because if you have, you'll likely be far more useful than a twenty year-old map. Information stowed in your mind can change more easily with the times. Saves time too, not having to put everything down on paper," she added sarcastically. "Anyway, have you mapped out a route to Serdio? I know we can probably leave the seafaring to the sailors when we cross the ocean," she began as a sudden swirl of silver vapor came forth from Remona's neck.

Rose coalesced out of the silvery mist standing beside Liora and looking at the map over her shoulders. Remona shook her head quickly, shaking off the oddity of it.

"But we still need a route for our land travel. I know a little bit about this region from maps I've looked over myself, but beyond that, I'm really not sure. Do you want me to help you?" she asked, trying not to let her voice portray how unnerved she was by a spirit's sudden emergence from her jewelry.

Even if Remona had appeared disturbed, Liora hadn't noticed. "I think I've got it figured out. But I really would like your opinion on it. Here's the way I've planned it," she said putting her finger on a starting point on the map. "We can go this way, unless you don't want to take my course. If not, I'll gladly follow one you set," she offered.

Remona was touched once again by the amount of Liora's consideration. "Your plan is probably better than mine," Remona admitted, "You have more knowledge to back yours up, but let me take a look and she what you've got," she said, walking over.

Liora tapped her finger against the paper and traced a path across the swirling colors and lines with her eyes as Remona walked over. "Well, for starters, I think we can continue due east, that'll put us skirting the Evergreen Forest," she started.

"Why not just go through the forest? It would save us a lot of time," Remona pointed out.

"Because when I was back home, earlier this month I overheard a meeting my mother was in. She'd been late for our archery lesson so I went to find her, but that's beside the point. Anyway I overheard our Commander of Knights tell her that the last three semi-squadrons they sent into the Evergreen Forest haven't come back yet, and they were dispatched over three weeks ago. The scary thing is that nobody in the forest has been responding either. I'm sure you already know that we're at least on neutral terms with the wingly population that lives at the heart of the forest, and no one's heard a peep from them, which isn't normal. Some people at the palace were speculating that the winglies might have something to do with the disappearances, but I don't believe that," Liora said stoutly.

"Why not?" Remona asked, probing for more information. "I've only met one wingly, and I can't say I liked him very well," she said referencing to Leon.

"Because mother thinks very highly of the winglies, and she knows their leader. She says they would never do something like that. What's more they've no proof. What we do have evidence of is that there have been several rural residents on the outer edges of the wood that have sent reports of "monsters" lurking about. Naturally, mother sent out a team to investigate these claims and they found that they were true. She said that the monsters were actually rabid forest animals. Our naturalists were studying possible causes last I heard, but I don't know what they could be. I only know that something in the forest is making the creatures behave aggressively when they normally wouldn't. And to top off the list of suspicious things that aren't adding up, Mayor Flanders in Furni has shut off all communications with Deningrad, when he's supposed to be keeping the Queen and the Sacred Sisters informed on the town. I'm sure you know that Furni is the only port into Mille Seseu, so you can imagine why it'd be so important to us. The knights mom sent three weeks ago were supposed to be going to Furni, and we've got no clue what happened to them. I'm sorry if this makes me sound afraid, but I'd really like to stay out of the forest as much as possible. Truth be told, I just have a very bad feeling about it and I'm not really all that comfortable with how close we are to it now," Liora admitted.

It made sense to Remona why Liora had been slightly edgy for the past few days after hearing this admission. But if what she said was true, her alternate route might be the quickest way to go after all. Having to stop and fend off monsters every ten minutes would sincerely hinder their progress. Remona processed Liora's claims swiftly and came up with one more question.

"One more thing," she started. "If Furni hasn't been communicating with Deningrad and your mother was sending knights, what makes you think that the port's even open? Do you think they've had some sort of natural disaster? In any case, it doesn't sound like somewhere we want to be. Why direct a course there? Isn't there any other port we can use? I know you said it's the only active one we have right now, but there has to be another solution. I mean, more than half our country borders the sea," Remona deduced.

Liora shook her head. "No, I'm afraid that Furni really is the only waterway in and out of Mille Seseu. You're right in the fact that we did at one time have another port on the west coast, but it's ancient and hasn't really been used since the time of the old wars. I heard tell it collapsed ten years ago. It was on the ocean bordering what used to be old Gloriano, and it might have been rebuilt if the conditions had been less harsh. It's too cold to really have any sort of productive outpost out there and the water's sealed by ice almost year round, making it infeasible for a port. You're probably right in the fact Furni's not likely to be the safest place in Endiness right now, but it is our only option off of this continent. And besides, if something has happened to the people of Furni, you and I are dragoons. We're honor bound to help them out. I don't suppose with the two of us we'll run into much we can't handle," she reasoned.

Remona raised an eyebrow, amazed by this powerful display of verbal confidence from such a usually meek person. Remona had only made the transformation once before, and just that minimal length of metamorphosis had left her completely drained. But then again, maybe Liora was more experienced in dragoon transformations, she didn't know. She hadn't asked. Maybe Liora would also know a way to combat the crippling fatigue. Or perhaps the exhaustion was a symptom unique to Remona alone, she wasn't sure of that either. Remona did know that all the dragoons were of different elements and that no two of them were alike, so maybe the thing that drained her so was the black fire. Remona was sure that part was an aspect completely hers alone and thought that maybe it could account for the enormous drain on her stamina.

"Don't you get tired after your transformations?" Remona said, asking her question aloud.

Liora looked down with a subliminal blush coming to her skin. "Well, actually I've never transformed before, so I couldn't tell you. But you have, right? Tell me, is it really that difficult?" she replied earnestly.

Remona blinked. She hadn't been expecting Liora to be completely naïve about dragoon powers. She seemed to know a lot about almost everything else, so this confession surprised her. Didn't her mother, the former white-silver dragoon teach her about it?

Remona sighed inwardly. She'd been hoping she could learn from Liora, not the other way around. Remona was slightly apprehensive about teaching Liora things related to being a dragoon, she knew there were bound to be questions she couldn't answer and the way she saw it, she was still a fledgling herself.

"I've only made the transformation once myself and to tell you the truth, it was extremely taxing. I passed out when I turned back," Remona admitted, looking at Rose, whom eyed her oddly.

"Hmm. So neither of you are trained? I would have thought as Miranda's daughter, Liora would have already been well-versed in dragoon matters. But then again, I suppose in a way this is fortunate. Now I can teach the two of you together so you will be on the same level and not be confused," she explained simply.

Remona really wanted to ask Rose just how she intended to teach both of them at once when only she could see or hear her, but she didn't for the sake of keeping her sanity in Liora's eyes.

Rose read her puzzled expression as easily as one would read an open book. "Don't say anything more about your lack of experience to Liora. I will explain things to you, and in turn, you will explain them to her. That way, you will both receive the same instruction and Liora will think you already knew these things instead of getting suspicious as to how you suddenly know so much. I have a feeling that she might believe you if you told her anyway, but it's best she doesn't know about me yet," Rose said matter-of-factly.

"Remona?" Liora asked uncertainly.

Remona blinked as she turned back to her. "Yes?"

"Sorry. You were just gazing into nowhere . . . I have another question. Do you at least know how to initiate the transformation? If you do, would you teach me? I really hate to ask such a big thing of you, and knowing who my mother is makes this slightly embarrassing, but I figure it would probably be in both our best interests. If something major happens then I can help you," Liora began sheepishly.

True to her word, Rose answered Liora's question before Remona had ever asked her. "Dragoon transformations are, in essence, triggered by very powerful emotions. You know, the kind that get blood rushing and adrenaline pumping. Rage is the most prominent," the previous darkness dragoon lectured.

Remona opened her mouth to translate, but Rose interrupted one more time. "Also, tell her that you would be prepared to teach her how tomorrow. The sooner you learn to be dragoons the better things will be. As for today, you need to focus on getting to Furni," she added.

Remona nodded to Rose, but Liora took the gesture for her answer. "You will? Wonderful! Thank you! I'm truly sorry if this is causing you trouble at all, I mean my mother probably would have taught me, but well, you know the circumstances," she supplied apologetically.

This time Remona nodded specifically to her, after Rose gave the teen an odd look a reminder to be discreet and that Liora couldn't see her to understand whom Remona was addressing.

"It's no trouble. Things happen. You can't really rely on your parents to teach you everything," she said bitterly at the last part, "But it will have to wait for tomorrow. Right now, we need to finish charting a route," Remona said, extending Rose's invite to the sacred sister's daughter.

Liora nodded in agreement and turned back to the atlas. "Well, we've already discussed skirting the Evergreen Forest, and I think we both agree on that," she added, receiving an affirmative nod from Remona. "So continuing this way," she continued, mumbling more to herself than anyone and traced an invisible line across the surface of the paper. "Then we can stop here around nightfall and we'll likely make it to the port in two days," Liora deduced. "Sound good?"

Remona strained her eyes through the filtered lighting to see the small, black dot marked on the map. "Is that a city? I didn't think there was one out this way," she asked, hesitantly.

"Well, sort of. That dot marks the Village of Neet. It was a city once, true enough, but now it's just a historical ruin. I think it would be safe to stop there, because not many people pass through there anymore, it's kind of been forgotten, and the other key portion to this is that it's outside the forest," the blonde teenager explained.

Remona recognized the name almost immediately. Neet was the town that had been attacked by the Black Monster over five decades ago. The stories she heard had stated there was only one survivor in the whole town, and that was Sister Luanna of Mille Seseu. Remona couldn't help but let her mind drift into morbid curiosity. Maybe, given that she was supposed to find this monster, it would be a wise idea for her to visit Neet and see the destruction for herself. A way for her to know her enemy better, as it were. The idea was tempting, but there was also a side of Remona that was equally appalled by the thought of visiting this place. Anything that could destroy an entire city and make the moonchild quake was something she was still sure was beyond her power to combat.

The grim reality of her quest hit her hard as she stared at the black dot on paper that was the ruins of Neet. She was on a suicide mission; she'd never leave that encounter alive. The man that claimed to be her father had such a blatant disregard for her life. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to will that ill thought away. No. She mustn't think like that. Her father had died with her mother; it was the Archbishop of Deningrad whom had given her this cruel ultimatum.

She knew she would at least have to face the Black Monster. She couldn't just run away in cowardice, her grandmother was counting on her. Remona also noted with sourness that her Grandmother was probably clueless to where she was right now and what she was doing. She knew if Aggie had realized what she traded for her safety, she'd have never let her leave. Her grandma loved her, and she was the only one.

She'd been thinking of her grandmother a lot lately, and wondered more and more how she was doing. She inwardly resolved to send a letter to Brother Smidt, the Deacon that had been charged with Aggie's care as soon as they could send word anywhere. It was disheartening to have been gone this long and still not have any news, and she was already on the verge of despair.

Her dragoon spirit flickered with a low, sapphire light, and an odd feeling of settlement crept over her. Was this the orb's attempt at comfort? Was it telling her to go to Neet? Remona opened her mouth to agree with Liora, but Rose suddenly interjected.

"Ask her if there's another way," the ghost said quickly.

Remona was thoroughly confused. Going through Neet was the quickest route to Furni next to the forest, and the sooner they could get to Serdio the better. Remona stared at Rose momentarily, but then slowly transferred her question.

"Is there another way?" Remona asked hesitantly.

"There are many other routes, but they aren't as quick or as safe. We could go around Neet and try to traverse the mountains, but that would be difficult seeing as it's approaching the snowy season, and it would also add a week to our trek. Why? Is something wrong?" Liora asked patiently.

Remona looked expectantly to Rose, wondering the exact same thing. Rose didn't show any sign of emotional reaction, same as always. Her voice was even and almost apathetic when she answered. "I wouldn't suggest venturing there. There are spirits there that would be violent towards you as dragoons," she finished.

Remona raised an eyebrow. In all the tales she'd heard, Remona had never once heard of any haunting or the presence of harmful spirits in Neet. Not to mention that she had, before meeting Rose, hardly believed in ghosts.

"Liora, you must know Sister Luanna well. You said a while ago that she makes frequent visits to Neet, didn't you?" Remona asked pointedly.

Liora nodded in reply. "Yes. She's very much like an Aunt, you could say. And yes, she does frequently visit Neet. She goes to visit her mother's grave, why?"

"And in all her travels there, has she ever had any trouble with malevolent spirits? I know it sounds odd, but I've heard . . .stories. Someone told me that spirits in Neet are violent to dragoons, or I read a book, rather," Remona corrected quickly after a harsh glance from Rose.

"What book was this?" Liora asked curiously, "I've never heard anything like it," she said skeptically. "At least, not in Deningrad's library."

"It was a really old book," Remona said with a minor snort, looking at Rose.

Liora shrugged. "Well, I'm not really sure. Apart from you and my mother, I've never met another dragoon in person. As for my mother, she's accompanied Sister Luanna to Neet before many times when she was still a dragoon. She never told me anything about any violent spirits. And I don't know if you know, but Sister Luanna can see souls, so I'm sure she would have known if mother was in any danger," she answered.

"I didn't know that about her," Remona said uneasily. "How did that happen?" she asked hesitantly.

"As you already know, Sister Luanna was the only survivor of Neet. She lost her physical sight as a child during the Black Monster's attack. According to Sister Luanna, the Black Monster came into her house and it started burning. Sister Luanna and her mother were trapped with no way out and her mother curled over her in an attempt to protect her," Liora began.

Remona was now listening intently and so too, it seemed, was Rose. "The Black Monster came into her house?" Remona asked quietly. "What did it want? What did it look like, does she remember?"

"She said that the room became really dark, despite the fact that there was demon fire everywhere. Sister Luanna never actually got a clear look at the demon because smoke was obscuring her sight. What she does remember was seeing a big, black shadow in front of them and she said she thought it had wings. The heat from the black fire burned the essence out of her eyes before she could get a clear look and that's how she lost her sight," Liora clarified.

Remona sighed. So much for that.

Liora looked at her curiously. "You seemed to have been expecting something different," she observed.

"This story is new to me," she admitted. "I want to know as much as possible," she explained. "It might help us later, I just have that feeling," Remona added vaguely.

Liora gazed at her skeptically, and then shrugged. "Well, Luanna didn't see anything else, but she did hear the demon speak. She said that the monster's voice sounded like three boulders rumbling together when it spoke and it filled her heart with dread," Liora relayed.

Remona was keenly interested and hanging on every word. Any information that she could gain might the fact that saved her life. "What did the Black Monster say?" she asked anxiously.

Liora looked distant for a moment, before replying. "The Black Monster demanded to know where the moonchild was. I'm already assuming you know that legend. Anyway, Sister Luanna was hidden underneath her mother long enough to hear her mother tell the demon that the moonchild wasn't in their city. She said the moonchild had left for the harbor. Her mother begged for the demon to leave, but the monster said that it wouldn't be satisfied until everyone in the town was dead. It said that if they were left alive, they'd all become evangelists for the moonchild. Then, the demon killed her mother. It killed her without one ounce of mercy or remorse, and left their house. It didn't see Sister Luanna, which is why she's still alive. Sister Luanna herself doesn't remember how she escaped the fire, but when she woke up two days later she had been rescued by the Knights of Deningrad," Liora finished chillingly.

Remona's stomach dropped into her feet for a few moments. What kind of monster would push for total genocide of a populace long after its quarry had gone? Remona's thoughts instantly turned to the moonchild portion of this story. Apparently this god of holy bliss had been a human. If the moonchild had already been born then why hadn't the world been filled with her father's "holy bliss" that he was so sure would have come?

"Who or what was the moonchild, did she say that? Did the—well," she stopped herself morosely, "Obviously the Black Monster must have . . ." she trailed off, having no need to finish.

Liora nodded gravely herself. "The moonchild was rumored to have been Princess Louvia of Mille Seseu. She was murdered on the S.S. Saint Louvia on the way to Tiberoa by the Black Monster," she said with a small amount of what sounded like uncertainty.

Remona picked up on her tone, subtle though it was. "Rumored? What do you mean rumored? You sound like you aren't sure. Don't you think we would know if the moonchild survived?" Remona pointed out.

Liora nodded. "You're right, I think we would, but there was something in my mother's eyes when I asked her about the Legend of the Moonchild that would've suggested she knew something different. Dumb, huh? Maybe I'm reading way too much into it, I don't know. It's strange, but have you ever had the feeling that someone close to you is hiding something?" she asked almost bashfully.

Remona shifted her gaze to Rose, whom was still standing behind Liora. The spirit hadn't said a single word throughout Liora's tale or even made a face. "Oh yes, all the time," she said somewhat sarcastically.

Rose raised a dark-colored eyebrow in reply.

"But, I digress. Anyway, I honestly don't think there will be anything in Neet that can hurt us. I seriously believe we're in more danger here than we would be there," Liora continued.

Remona continued to stare down the apparition that was Rose expectantly, waiting for permission or some other type of acknowledgement.

The specter stared back and shrugged. "On your own head be it," she said simply, without elaborating in the slightest.

Remona sighed. "If you say so," she said directed at Rose.

Liora looked confused and followed Remona's intense stare. "Is something wrong?" she asked, searching for the source of Remona's troubled expression.

Remona blinked, then locked eyes with Liora. "I'm fine with going to Neet. Nothing's wrong, I just thought I heard something for a minute," she lied.

"Right. All the more reason to leave here as soon as possible," Liora nodded and retrieved her pack of belongings. Remona cast Rose one more suspicious glance as the two started to move out of their rest area. She was starting to doubt Rose's intentions. Why would she steer them towards the wilderness when Neet was closer and safer? What was that comment about angry spirits? It just didn't make sense. Was she trying to test them, or did she clearly know something they didn't?

A sudden, distant roar from somewhere in the forest brought Remona's attention sharply back to the present. It had been distant, she could tell that much, but it was still extremely loud and powerful. Remona was instantly alarmed when Rose immediately stepped into an alerted posture and Liora almost tripped over a protruding tree root.

"What was that?" Liora asked, leery immediately after the noise had gone.

Remona didn't know any more than she did and apparently, neither did Rose.

"I don't know, but like you said, it's just more incentive to leave the forest immediately. Lead on, Liora," Remona said quietly as she watched the timberline dangerously.

The day was uneventful as the two, secretly three, traveled toward Neet. With as tense and alert as Remona was, she neither heard nor saw any trace of the source of the earlier noise. It was quickly becoming sundown when Remona started to notice certain oddities in their current environment bordering the forest. The trees were starting to thin around the trunk and the air was becoming significantly colder. The rays of the sun didn't seem to be reaching the area as well as they should have and the total combined effect gave their surroundings a melancholy, grey feel. Even the wind, which should have been present, didn't seem to dare enter the place. There were no wild animals, no singing birds or scampering mice, and in their absence, silence prevailed. It was unnerving to Remona, and it seemed to be the same with Liora also.

Remona finally stopped to take a good look around and Liora, who seemed to be waiting for the invitation, promptly stopped also.

"I don't like the feel of this place," Liora said uneasily.

"Me either. Something's not right with this area," Remona agreed aloud.

"The magic's gone out of this part of the forest, that's why," Liora said after a moment of taking in the scenery.

"Magic?" Remona asked, confused. "I thought only winglies could detect and use magic," she added.

Liora shook her head. "Even humans like us can feel it. Magic is normally all around us, just like life. In a sense, life is magic. This edge of the forest has no essence. I'd often play in the forest outside the palace in Deningrad when I was younger. It was always full of life and character. It had sound and being. The place was alive. This place is well, stagnant," Liora observed.

Remona nodded her agreement and reached out, touching the nearest tree. She had a feeling she might discover something if she used her tactile sense. Her suspicions proved to be correct. As her fingers brushed the rough bark, a gossamer string of green light connected with her skin before fading into it with an odd tingle. She flexed her hand and examined it intently for injuries or changes, but she couldn't see anything physical. She did however, notice that she felt stronger somehow. Remona threw a punch with her right hand as a test and a boulder the size of a human head flew out of her fist.

The rock flew through the air and crashed against a nearby tree. Remona's eyes went wide with surprise. "It's a vampiric spell! It's sucking the magic out of the forest and converting it into energy for something else," she deduced quickly.

"Maybe the winglies?" Liora said, though dubiously.

Remona shook her head. "No, I remember reading that winglies draw their powers from elemental energies in the air. There is no wind here, and here the air isn't the only thing lacking spirit. It's everything here: the trees, the ground, even the rocks," Remona replied.

Liora looked around, nodding. "You're right. I had forgotten that part. And furthermore, mom said that the wingly magic was still recovering. She said it was still too weak to do anything on such a grand scale. Whatever did this had to be very powerful to affect such a large area. What do you think it could be, Remona?" Liora asked carefully.

Remona was about to suggest that it could have been some freak occurrence, or maybe even related to the noise they heard earlier, when she noticed the answer in front of herself. Several sets of narrow, humanoid footprints were pressed lightly into the dead brush. "Dark Elves," Remona answered.

"Dark elves? Are you sure?" Liora asked and knelt down to examine the tracks for herself. She didn't need Remona's affirmation, she agreed instantly once she saw the imprints. "What are dark elves doing this far into the eastern lands? They're supposed to be on the western edges of the mountains. What would they be stealing energy for?" she asked aloud.

"Not sure, but it can't be good," Remona answered, turning to examine their environment more thoroughly. "I saw a few tracks by the river this morning too. This could just be grasping at straws, but if we're seeing them here and there, I'd say it's safe to assume they've extended their territory a good way from home," she said darkly.

Liora looked deeply troubled. "That's really bad news if it's true, seeing as this would normally be wingly territory. Elves and winglies never get along, at least according to the books. If elves have taken wingly territory, then the winglies are either unaware, or in serious trouble. Their antipathy towards each other makes it impossible for them to even coexist, let alone share the same forest. It's something I read in the ancient texts, that war happened before the human and wingly war," she clarified looking at Remona's puzzled expression. "There wasn't much on it, but we have enough evidence to know that it happened. Anyway, it's really disturbing to think that elves are responsible for this spell, and I have a feeling that either way this might spell disaster for the winglies living here. When we get to Furni, I'm sending a letter to my mother," she said grimly, "If I can. At any rate, that magic definitely explains the aberrations in this part of the forest," she concluded.

Remona shared Liora's sense of dread, and thought she might be right on target with the assumption that this spell might be aimed in some way against the winglies. However, if the spells from the elves left residue in this afflicted area, wouldn't wingly magic as well? Other than the odd feel of this place and the slightly altered appearance, nothing seemed to be grossly out of the ordinary. There was no evidence of any kind of struggle having taken place here, or anywhere else they had been for that matter. Remona was beginning to agree with the assumption that the winglies were blind to what was happening here, from what she read and what she understood of them herself, winglies were a resilient species and no one would dominate them without a fight.

"Maybe. Let's move on, whatever happened, we probably won't learn any more from lingering here. Plus, staying here puts us in danger. We need to reach our site before nightfall," Remona reasoned.

Liora nodded wordlessly and resumed leading the way. Remona stepped into stride beside her, taking her bearings and checking one last time avidly for anything suspicious. Out of the corner of her peripheral vision, Remona noticed a glimmer of silver light above them. She turned sharply to direct her full gaze to that spot, but she didn't see anything but the thick, pine canopy. She shielded her face as a dim ray of golden sunshine peaked through the branches and into her eyes. She blinked, clearing the momentary sunspots that had formed and looked around again. Whatever that subliminal light had been, if it was anything at all, was gone now.

Liora's hand shifted swiftly to hover inches off the surface of her bow, making Remona realize that her hand had gone subconsciously to the hilt of her sword.

"What did you see?" Liora asked with attentiveness.

The brown-haired teen relaxed, and started to ease her hand away from her sword. Without warning or sound, Liora drew her bow to the ready and notched it with an arrow so swiftly that she was a blur.

"Freeze! Stay where you are!" Liora shouted with a command in her voice Remona hadn't thought was possible. She turned, angling her weapon at a large Beech tree to the right with her crystal arrowhead gleaming maliciously. Her eyes locked onto a central point off to the left side of the tree trunk.

Remona's hand flew back to the handle of her sword when she saw the toe of a black, leather boot protruding ever so slightly at the base of the tree and a pale hand, covered in layers of dirt become barely visible over the edges of the tree bark.

"Come out slowly with your hands where I can see them, or I will shoot!" Liora called again threateningly, a tone that just didn't suit her.

Remona inwardly kicked herself for being too caught up in the insignificant details to notice the major ones Liora had. Why had that silver blur caught her attention, when clearly this should have? The hand and boot stirred slowly, before connecting into the form of a small boy, whom Remona estimated to be no older than seven. The bow carefully stepped into plain view with his arms held high over his head, per Liora's demands.

He was clothed in a filthy, hole-ridden yellow tunic and equally dirty tan linen pants. The child wore small, black boots with an open hole in the toe of the right, giving them sight to the enormous blister on the right side of his big toe. The child had a very round face, and every inch was covered in mud and what appeared to be soot. The boy had a clear scratch across his right cheek and what looked like a nasty abrasion on his neck just below. His hair was cut very short and dirty blonde, and though it had no length his hair still managed to have mats and several twigs caught in the strands.

The boy spoke intrepidly, for someone at arrow point. "Okay, okay. Don't shoot, you found me," he answered simply, as if he were playing hide-and-seek.

Liora lowered her bow slightly, clearly uncertain that a boy would pose any threat. "Who are you? Why were you hiding from us? Where are your parents? Are you lost?" the archer asked, taking on a more gentle tone.

The boy nodded. "I am lost. I got separated from my family, can you help me find them?" he asked innocently, as if this was an everyday occurrence and he would trust total strangers at the drop of a hat.

Liora lowered her bow completely and relaxed the arrow on her drawstring. "Remona, we have to help him," she said sympathetically.

Remona didn't respond, but continued to watch the boy intently as Liora continued her conversation with the battered looking child. Something about this whole scenario was completely off, and it set her on alert.

"Certainly we will help you. Where did you last see your parents?" she asked softly.

"I'm not sure," the boy responded. "I think it was that way," the child responded and pointed off in front of the two teenage girls.

Liora nodded. "I see. What do your parents look like? What are their names?" she asked the child in concern.

"My mommy's name is Michelle and my daddy's is John. I'll know them when I see them. Please can we go now? I'm scared. I miss my mommy," the small kid begged pitifully.

"It will be alright. We can go now," Liora said in a motherly tone and lifted her foot to start forward.

"Wait!" Remona hissed dangerously. "This doesn't feel right," she added. No sooner had she spoken the words, than did her ears catch the clear cracking sound of twigs and underbrush snapping. Remona drew her blue sword in a flash of metal and whirled around catching the strawberry-haired adolescent wielding a twelve inch knife red-handed. He had a very peculiar aim; Remona noted that he'd been directing the knife for the side of her neck, and not her back or head. She scowled as she swiftly turned the tides on this would-be attacker. She sideswiped his startled arm away from her body with the flat of her sword, then pinned the tip of her own blade at his grungy throat.

"That was cute," she growled. "Real cute. What the devildom sort of trap was this supposed to be?" she spat dangerously.

The second boy, in ragged and dirty clothes like the first, returned her scowl defiantly, but quickly thought better of a retort as Remona pressed her sapphire blade closer to his skin.

"Remona, don't! He's only a child!" Liora protested fearfully as the second boy winced.

"Yeah, only a boy with a knife, sneaking up like a coward behind us trying to stab me—tell me, what exactly were you trying to do? Rob us? Because I promise you, that's not going to happen," Remona replied, first to Liora, and then turning to face her captive.

The second boy stumbled quickly backwards, away from Remona's weapon. "Good choice," she said bluntly. "Now drop that knife, or I promise you, child or no, your actions are going to have some very adult consequences," she continued, not relenting in the slightest.

"Yeah, and then I'd be defenseless. I'm not stupid," the second boy said with loathing. He glared at her before he continued. "If I were you, I'd give us all your valuables before somebody really gets hurt. This is your only warning," he said with a cocky, punk attitude.

Remona raised an eyebrow. "Bad choice. In case you haven't noticed, there are two of us, we're bigger than you and your friend," Remona started sourly gesturing to the child behind her, "and we have better weapons," she finished, not intimidated in the least. "And between you and me, I'm not above teaching little punks who attack me to mind their manners. Where I grew up there were rats bigger than you," Remona said with an indignant snort. What was this? Now they were to be mugged by little kids?

The little, would-be thief didn't seem discouraged by Remona's valid points. "Yeah, well you may be bigger than us, but you're outnumbered," he replied and gave a loud whistle.

Several rag-tag young boys of assorted ages suddenly surfaced from several well-camouflaged caches. Remona growled in displeasure as she realized that they couldn't have all been there already, they had to have been followed. The circle of about ten boys closed in on the two dragoons, pressing them back to back by waving various crude weapons.

"How about now?" the redheaded boy with the knife mocked.

Remona rolled her eyes. She'd been in much worse situations before at home with the Knight Dodgers. She had no doubt in her mind that she could easily take care of this band of would-be muggers.

Liora shifted uncomfortably directly behind Remona. Remona knew she didn't want to fight at all, let alone fight children. Remona definitely didn't want to see her get hurt because she wouldn't strike back if this came down to an all out fight, which she had the feeling, this situation was going to become in mere moments.

"You're just defending yourself," Remona growled irritably in her ear. "They attacked first. This is stupid, we need our supplies and we can't afford to be short," she reminded impatiently.

"I know that," she whispered back. "I will fight back if I have to, don't worry," she promised, though Remona could hear the regret in her voice.

Remona stared back sarcastically at her would be assailants without any manner of fear and then gave them a taunting grin of her own. This seemed to unnerve the boy with the knife.

"What are you? Stupid or somethin'? Give us your stuff now!" he demanded, raising his knife.

"As I told you before, not going to happen," Remona rebutted, feeling as if she were talking to a younger version of Donaven all over again.

The boy frowned. "You really are stupid. You're a girl, what are you gonna do? If ya don't give it up, then I'll have to take it from you and mess you up," he answered. "You and your friend," he added, eyeing Liora.

Remona snorted and shrugged. "It's your mistake, little brat," she said somewhat laughingly.

"Fine. Nobody can say I didn' warn ya!" he hissed and poised to attack.

"Allan, I wouldn't attack her unless you want to die. There's no fear behind her eyes, she's more skilled than you," came a deeper, older male voice as a man with messy, curly black hair about Remona's age stepped out from behind another tree with his arms crossed.

The second boy, Allan, seemed completely offended. "Come on Ricki! Jus' 'cause she ain't actin' scared doesn't mean nothin'!" he argued.

The man, Ricki, came even further forward. Remona noticed oddly that this guy was wearing light leather armor over his clothes and he had an orange bandanna tied around his forehead, keeping his unruly curls at bay. Ricki reached over his shoulder and produced an iron morning star, smacking the shaft of the weapon in his open palm. He carried an aura of authority; Remona could immediately tell that he was the ringleader of this little gang, having been around enough gangs in her life to know.

"Let me have a chance! I won't mess it up!" Allan pouted.

Ricki shook his head. "No and I mean it. She's too strong for you. Any of you. I'll deal with this myself," Ricki asserted, putting an end to the argument and the reproachful countenances of several of his gang members.

Remona locked eyes with Ricki assertively and cut straight to her own point. It was better not to beat around the bush with these people.

"You have some sense in you. Now here's my proposal. Let us go peacefully and we'll pretend this never happened. If you want to pursue this, you're all about to get your asses handed to you," Remona challenged with fortitude in her own voice.

Ricki swung his arm wielding the morning star, causing it to hiss through the air back and forth as he stretched. He grinned, then hoisted it to the ready. "I think we have a misunderstanding here. I said you were too good for _them_. I didn't say you were too skilled for me."

Remona sighed irritably. This didn't surprise her, nothing like this ever got resolved verbally. "You should take your own advice. I'm not scared of you either," Remona pointed out.

The gang leader's grin broadened. "Well, that's because your friend is with you. You wouldn't be so brave if you were by yourself," Ricki said, nodding at Liora.

Remona raised an eyebrow once more. "Is that what you think? You're pretty clueless," she said simply. "I'll fight you one on one if that's what you're implying. It's your funeral; you're old enough to know better. So, here are the only conditions. You don't harm my friend during this fight, and I don't harm any of your little henchmen. If you win, we'll give you our belongings and fend for ourselves from there. If I win, you leave without resistance and don't bother us again," she said nonchalantly.

Ricki laughed. "Got guts for a girl, don't you? I'll admit when I saw you two walking through the woods I thought you might fold at the sight of deer. That sounds good to me, though. Back up you guys," he shouted to his friends, so that they formed a human fighting ring.

Liora put her hand on Remona's shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this? Alone?" she questioned.

"Trust me," Remona said simply, as she handed her pack over to Liora, leaving only her sword, "I know what I'm doing. I've dealt with his type all my life," she replied harshly.

Liora managed a half-nod in a sad sort of understanding. "I trust you, just—don't kill him, okay?" she requested philanthropically and stepped obediently aside.

"Easier said than done," the dark dragoon said sarcastically. "Don't worry," she insisted, seeing Liora's troubled expression. Giving this punk the beating he deserved was the only thing on Remona's mind right now. The only person she thought she'd ever had the desire to kill was Donaven, and he had threatened what she loved most. Deep down, even when it had come down to it, she'd let him live. She wasn't a murderer, and moreover, she was resolved to never be a monster. She eyed Ricki, watching his every move like a hawk. She knew the duel would begin any second.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for everyone's continued support and patience. Here is the next update. Enjoy and thanks for reading and reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon; all copyrights are still in effect and property of Sony Entertainment.

The City of Ash

Remona and Ricki continued to glare each other down for seconds afterwards as they each moved to opposing ends of their makeshift arena. There was a flicker in her opponent's eyes the precise second he chose to attack, so Remona charged as well, meeting him halfway. The gang leader swung his spiked mace savagely after Remona's head, which she ducked easily enough. Remona watched him refold and swing around the other side with the same overt motions, a move she dodged effortlessly as well.

Ricki was definitely an aggressive fighter and most of his attacks were offensive. Even after the first few seconds of the fight Remona was fairly certain she had gotten a decent feel for his fighting style. Ricki lashed out harshly aimed for her midriff with a backhanded swing, causing the darkness dragoon to bridge backwards to avoid the blow. Yes, Remona decided. Definitely aggressive, but it didn't really make the slightest bit of difference, Remona was used to offensive opponents. Remona finished the movement she had begun in bridging over on the ground by extending her right leg and turning the motion into a full backwards-handspring, kicking Ricki in the face with her foot as she did so.

Ricki stumbled back a few steps, causing his unruly curly hair to fall over his bandanna and into his face. He hastily shoved his thick locks aside, having been only halted briefly in his attacks. He rushed Remona again striking haphazardly and seemingly without any sense of aim. Remona carefully watched this reckless display of motion and dodged accordingly.

Ricki pulled his mace over his head, taking his weapon into both of his hands before bringing it down into a powerful overhead strike that Remona couldn't maneuver around. She skillfully parried this strike with an upward swipe of her sword. The two weapons locked onto each other with a distracting clang and while they grappled over their weapons with their hands, Remona snapped her left leg in front of herself into Ricki's chest. The gang leader fell to the ground and Remona took the opportunity to step fiercely down onto the hand holding his mace. She didn't waste any time pressing her sapphire blade against his throat either. This bout was over, short and sweet.

"Surrender," Remona said in an even voice, still applying unwavering pressure onto Ricki's mace arm and not relenting on her weapon against his skin.

There was an outcry of shock and dismay from several of the boys lining the ring around them, but Ricki himself said nothing. His lip curled into a clear snarl, he was plainly unwilling to admit his defeat aloud.

"Surrender, or die," Remona repeated sternly and pressed her sword more tightly against his throat. The young man still said nothing, causing Remona to form her own sour expression. With her free foot she savagely kicked his mace across the clearing out of reach. "It's really not a difficult decision," Remona growled menacingly.

Ricki glared up at her defiantly and scoffed. "Think you're tough, do you? You think you can make a fool out of me? Tommy, Cal, take care of her friend for me!" he shouted, and two of the elder boys rushed at Liora.

The archer didn't falter, like Remona had originally anticipated, but she didn't really fight back to the best of her ability either. Liora used the momentum of the first boy rushing her to toss him up and over her bow, and batted the second one into the first with a side swipe of her weapon. Seeing this, a third boy with a small knife charged at her too in anger. Liora managed to disarm him as well and send him sprawling into the dirt, but was slower to dodge the strike he made in retaliation from the ground. The third boy's knife sliced the flesh across the exposed flesh on her calf.

Liora winced, but made no other notion of pain as a steady trickle of blood began to ooze down her leg from the wound. The Sacred Sister's daughter stepped quickly out of the path of another strike, drawing a crystal arrow from her quiver and lining it on her bow in one liquid motion. She leveled the projectile at her attacker wordlessly, and even he had enough sense not to move.

Remona turned her attention back to Ricki with a burning vengeance. She crashed down on his bare hand, which was now empty maliciously and viciously kicked his side with her other foot, causing him to cough up a healthy amount of spit.

"Lying, filthy, dishonorable scum! Break the rules? I'll break your sorry body! I'm sick and tired of you people thinking you can take what isn't yours without recourse! By devildom, all this over a bunch of damned coins! You have so little regard for human life you'd kill me and my friend for our money!" Remona bellowed in rage.

Ricki seemed to suddenly have a healthy respect for the woman holding him at sword-point. Seeing her rage, his tough exterior quickly began to falter. "—I never—they weren't –," he stuttered.

"Shut up! I've had enough of this stupidity. You want to play with fire, you're about to get burned!" she growled infuriated and raised her sword overhead to strike.

Remona's sapphire rapier fell through the air with her animosity and every intention of taking the gang leader's life, but in a lightning quick motion, the first small boy and flung himself out of his crowd of peers and draped himself defensively across Ricki's body over her feet. This time, he was crying believably like a true child. Something about the sincerity of this new display caught Remona off guard and she barely diverted her weapon in time. The dark sword gouged a deep rut into the forest dirt at her feet in his stead, having missed the small boy's neck by centimeters.

"Don't hurt him! Leave Ricki alone! We weren't going to kill nobody, I promise! We just wanted your shiny coins we're hungry and we ain't got no food! We promise to leave you alone, just go away!" he screeched hysterically, crying profusely in fear.

Remona hesitated over the pair of them with her blue blade glistening at the ready, though as moments passed, no one made an aggressive movement. Remona finally lowered her sword completely, knowing that after a few more seconds without attack, this time the boy was being genuine. Her seething rage actually turned into a subdued form of pity as she took another look at him and then around at all the rest gathered here.

All of them definitely looked worse for wear, almost like refugees even. Remona looked into the terrified child's mud brown eyes, and found no trace of deceit. "Let us go without another word," Remona admonished, "Keep your word and let us pass without any more trouble," she reiterated as she sheathed her rapier.

No sooner had she sheathed it, than did the need to draw it again surface. An arrow implanted itself into the ground beside her right foot. Remona thought for a brief moment that it might have been Liora's and she was about to ask her, but the cackling voice behind them silenced her question before it ever left her lips.

The entire area fell silent immediately with this newcomer. Remona and several others hastily turned around to face the source of this new disturbance. A tall, pale creature that looked humanoid was standing at the base of a large birch tree off to the side of the group. Remona immediately distinguished what the situation involved when she noted his pointy ears and equally pointy arrows. This new creature had cascades of platinum blonde hair and quite a few comrades behind him. The elf wore a stark, black tunic and pants and a strange emblem around his neck. The talisman he wore resembled a silver leaf with a black human skull emblazoned on the front. Remona swiftly redrew her sword, pulling it into a guarding position as she faced the new threat carefully.

"Humans," the elf snorted in distaste. "Always loud, obnoxious, and so easy to find. What are you doing, trespassing in our forest, vermin?" the lead elf asked casually with malice in his eyes.

Remona tensed when one of the bandit boys found the present perfect timing to mouth off. "Your forest? This forest doesn't belong to nobody!" he cried defiantly.

One of the dark elves sneered. "It does now, Furni brats," he growled with authority.

Remona instantly recognized the name. So it was true and her first assumption that these people were refugees had been correct. But what was this elf scuz talking about? What had happened in Furni?

The small child shielding Ricki immediately scurried aside at the sight of the elf, and once the boy was no longer laying on him, Ricki hastily returned to his feet as well. The boys' ringleader donned a scowl that matched the elf's perfectly. "Long time no see, rat bastards," he snarled vehemently.

"Furni brats? Do you know these pests, Denzil?" the lead asked the one beside him with a demented interest.

The elf, Denzil nodded. "Yes Sir. That particular one decided to give us trouble on sector patrol. He thought he'd be smart and strike one of his superiors. Now it looks like he's been helping these brats escape our happy domain," he replied with antipathy, gesturing towards Ricki.

A cruel smile crept onto the face of the lead elf. "Ah yes. That was Lt. Vrill you punched, brat. He's very influential; you picked a terrible elf to mess with. He's issued the command for your immediate execution, human roach," he stated almost gleefully. "And, in concordance with General Ziran's ordinance, I'm also obligated to terminate the rest of you as well," he added blissfully. "Every, last, one," he repeated, encircling all the humans present in a deadly glare.

"Devildom if I'd just give myself or any of them over to you, you son of a bitch! What's their crime, refusing slavery? Damn right I struck your damned Lieutenant! The sick bastard took a whip to my mother for not walking fast enough! My shame and the only real crime I'm guilty off is not killing him! Come and get me if you can, scumbag I'm not afraid of you," Ricki snarled adamantly.

The lead elf sneered. "Oh, listen to the mouth on you, insect. You're forgetting your place, human. Fugitives from the territory will henceforth be tracked and executed," the lead elf recited sadistically, stating some unknown law code for all to hear.

Liora, whom hadn't spoken in a while, challenged the elf powerfully. "Who are you and what have you done to Mille Seseu's port city! What authority are you acting on? There is no such law in our country! In fact, by our law, you're to deal with our Queen's delegates if you have diplomatic issues with humans!" she fired back.

The elf laughed dryly. "Filthy humans don't need to know my name. Your port city, human, now belongs to us! There is no law but ours, maggot. Our word is absolute truth, your human codes are pathetic and outdated, soon like your entire species will be. Such insolence! You're all guilty by association, and since you're all here I'll carry your sentences out together. I of course, was rooting for her," he said sarcastically, pointing a pale finger at Remona, "hoping she'd dispose of all of you for me so I wouldn't have to waste my precious arrows on your unworthy beings. But, at least killing you all will cure my boredom," the elf answered. "I've had enough of talk; my breath is wasted on you lesser creatures. Kill them all," the elf commanded to his subordinates as he stuck his nose in the air.

On his signal, seven loaded bows were pushed to the ready. Nobody needed to be told twice to seek cover. Remona swiftly dived behind a large Oak tree while Ricki grabbed his small savior around the waist, pulling him behind another, closer tree as the arrow volley began raining down around them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Remona saw Liora lean around the trunk of the tree she was shielded behind and fire a crystal arrow. The sparkling point glittered as it flew through the air, finally spiraling into the heart of an enemy archer as he turned around.

The elf fell dead onto the ground, with scarlet blood gushing from the wound. The red color of the blood seemed to enrage the remaining elves into a frenzy; they seemed to gain some sort of demonic speed to their attacks and began launching several more arrows in rapid succession. The lead elf, whose name remained unknown, seemed almost dumbfounded that one of his underlings had actually been killed. A fierce scowl plastered itself on his face and he redirected his bow in Liora's direction, shooting lethally for any bit of flesh he could obtain an opening to.

Liora covered her head under her arm and ran through the trees dodging the barrage of deadly missiles, miraculously making her way to Remona's side unharmed. One of the refugee boys wasn't as lucky; an arrow embedded itself into his side when he attempted to reposition himself into a safer spot.

He screamed in pain and the sound looked as if it physically hurt Liora as well. Remona assessed the situation gravely, the boy's injury appeared to be mostly superficial and he might live if he didn't lose too much blood.

Another boy cried out in anguish as an arrow pierced his leg. Liora looked to Remona with a horrified expression as Ricki, whom had managed to retrieve his weapon, managed to throw his spiked mace into the face of another elf, rendering himself weaponless once more. The iron bludgeon skidded with the elf Ricki had just killed and landed in a trail of blood at Remona's feet. They had decreased the opposition by two, but the remaining five were becoming more deadly with every second.

Remona saw the boy, Allan, follow Ricki's lead and toss his knife at a nearby elf. However, his attack was far less damaging; the knife only grazed the shoulder of the target elf before clattering harmlessly to the ground. Unfortunately for Allan, he hadn't been as far away from their attackers as Ricki, and the remaining elves converged on his position.

Ricki yelled something indistinguishable before he leapt out boldly from behind his tree and started racing towards his mace. Upon his example and his signal the rest of his gang of boys were charging recklessly with him towards their attackers.

Having the elves thus preoccupied and shooting at someone else, Remona saw their window of opportunity and edged backwards, starting to move away from the fight. Liora, however, remained standing in the same spot, with her horrified gaze transfixed on the boys and the slaughter that was about to happen.

"Let's go," Remona said icily, trying to budge Liora out of her gaze.

Liora turned to Remona incredulously. "We can't just leave them! Remona, we have to help them! If we don't they'll all be killed!" she said in terror.

Seeing Liora's straightforward compassion, Remona knew her own mindset was far from politically correct, but she still wasn't inclined to aid the people that had just tried to rob them, kids or no.

"Why should we? They obviously can take care of themselves," she said plainly.

Liora gave her an outraged glance. "But Remona, they're just children!" she cried in dismay.

"Liora, they just tried to rob us, and moreover they didn't think twice about hurting you and probably would have killed you if I didn't have their little leader by the throat. If we help them that will still put us back in the same damned situation when this is over, they'll turn on us again," Remona growled bitterly, eyeing the band of boys with mistrust.

Liora's expression and response weren't any less appalled. "Remona, they're starving, the boy said it himself! Something terrible has happened to these people; didn't you hear what Ricki said about his mother? Remona, I know what they tried to do a moment ago, and I understand why you'd be apprehensive about this, but something in my heart tells me that the way they acted towards us earlier isn't how they are normally. I honestly don't think they'd have killed me either, we weren't in serious danger," she protested ardently with some ambiguous, blind trust Remona wasn't sure she agreed with.

"I don't like it," she protested herself, "This isn't my fight and I don't want to get involved anymore than I already am," Remona insisted strongly.

"If you don't help," Liora continued in an emotional huff, "if you turn your back on them, you'll be just as guilty of murder as those elves! We're dragoons—I don't know which one you got your spirit from or what they taught you, but my mother taught me that dragoons are supposed to help people! And not just the ones we like, all people! Especially when they can't defend themselves. What have they done so that you will so readily condemn them to die?" Liora argued altruistically.

Remona felt her displeasure fizzle away almost immediately after hearing Liora's words and the space that had harbored resentment now filled with guilt. Liora was right, she barely knew these people so she shouldn't hold a grudge. But, what she should or shouldn't do still didn't make letting go of her bitterness any easier. It was hard for her to put something like this aside, having grown up the way she did. It had been everyone for themselves in Remona's neighborhood.

She didn't know how to let go of her disagreement, and she knew she had a very limited amount of time to try. Remona closed her eyes for a moment and remembered her grandmother's warm, aged face. She cared about her grandmother more than anything, more even, than her own life. Maybe that was why she'd been so different from every other piece of riffraff that inhabited the Crystal City's slums. She cared about someone other than herself. In fact, the more she remembered, the more she recalled that she had often given what miniscule amount of her wages she could afford to those worse off than she. They were starving too more often than not and did some fairly stupid things trying to correct their situation. Liora was right; these people weren't so different than the ones she helped at home. If she turned her back on them now when they were in dire need, she'd be no better than the street scum she swore to be above. And Liora was also correct in that some of these people really were defenseless. Above it all, what would her grandma have told her if she were here? Remona guessed she'd have been just like Liora and ashamed that Remona was going to let a grudge cost someone their life.

Remona turned back to the fight taking place and readied her sword. "You're right. I don't know what came over me. First things first," Remona apologized and dislodged Ricki's mace from the carcass of the elf in front of them.

Liora nodded approvingly. "I have a feeling that you won't be let down," she promised. "Go on, I'll cover you," Liora assured stoutly and strung three arrows across her bow.

Remona nodded her understanding and darted quickly around the tree's left side. She moved precisely, aiming to get behind the group while they were distracted with the conflict. Her subtle approach worked surprisingly well until the point she actually tried to close in to attack. Even with all the shouting and commotion, one of the elves had heard Remona approach.

The elf quickly diverted his attention to her and fired an arrow, causing her to roll out of the way in a dive. The elf made to fire another arrow, but was forced to redirect his attention to an adolescent boy that had found his way into the elf's personal space.

Remona took the opportunity to close the remaining distance and shove her sword through the middle of the elf's torso as he made to turn around. His bow fell along with his body limply to the earth. The hum of a flying arrow caught in Remona's ears and she sliced upwards just in time to block one of the deadly projectiles.

Almost instantly, another arrow followed behind the first and whizzed by Remona's cheek, implanting itself into an enemy directly behind where she had just been standing. Remona jumped out of reflex, seeing how close the assailant had been. Liora gave her a reassuring wave from behind her tree and Remona mouthed a quick thanks to the archer whom has just saved her life.

Quickly reevaluating the scene, Remona found that their original opposition had been reduced in number from seven to three, but the remaining elves were no less determined or sinister. Taking further inventory of the situation, Remona also noticed grimly that several of the refugee boys were badly injured; at any rate, much more harmed than the remaining three elves.

The odds were stacking against the refugees' survival every second they remained in the battlefront; Remona knew that every second that passed could be when the first of human casualties started occurring. Tactically for the refugees, she knew it would be wise to call a retreat and get the injured to safety.

As if he had read her mind, Ricki's next order to his refugees was to fall back, but on the flip side, Remona also knew they weren't going to get very far without some sort of intervention; the elves would just chase them down and kill them anyway as they ran.

Ricki seemed prepared for this, there was a bold, but desperate look in his brown eyes as he too took a look around and calculated his next strategy. Remona could see the relief in his eyes as his boys started retreating further into the woodlands, but he himself remained where he was.

"What about you, Ricki?" the boy, Allan, called frantically from somewhere behind a nearby tree trunk.

Ricki narrowly dodged another arrow aimed for his head by twirling behind a beech tree. "Don't worry about me, I'll hold them off while you guys escape! Get the others to safety!" he called back powerfully.

"But they'll kill you!" Allan screamed back in a truthful protest.

"Just go!" Ricki demanded fiercely, and Remona could clearly hear the protective compassion that Ricki held for these children.

"You can't take them all on alone, Ricki! I'll stay with you!" Allan insisted obstinately, his own dedication to his leader shining through.

"You have to guard the others!" Ricki thundered. "Do this for me!" he continued adamantly.

"I won't! I won't leave you alone!" Allan continued ardently himself as another arrow nearly struck his left foot.

Remona couldn't help but be moved by this show of loyalty in dire straits, small though the gestures were. Something inside of herself told her that she should stay and help, even when she had been so keen to just leave these people to their fate earlier. A subtle sapphire glow from her choker reflected in her line of vision and Remona wasn't entirely sure this feeling was her own. It was as if the darkness dragoon spirit was trying to tell her something. "Go with the flow, I guess," she growled under her own breath, finally resigning to the odd urge. After all, the dragoon spirit had been around much longer than she had, it would know best about things like these.

"He won't be alone," Remona called out to Allan with authority. "I'm staying as well. My friend Liora can help guide your friends and protect them until they can get to safety. You're going to need this back," Remona shouted over to Ricki as she tossed his bloodstained mace at the base of the tree she'd pinpointed his voice behind.

Remona would have thought this to be reassurance, but Allan wasn't convinced. "No way! Ricki I don't trust her!" the boy yelled, mistrusting.

By the tone in his response, Ricki seemed to be inclined to agree. He peered around the edge of his covering tree to lock eyes with Remona questioningly. His view nearly cost him his entire face as an elvish arrow narrowly missed his cheek. He knew he didn't have much time and if he was smart, Remona knew he'd take the offer.

"I don't see a choice! Besides, they could have just run away when this all started, they had the chance, you saw them. They were in the clear, but they stayed. I think we can trust 'em," Ricki yelled back, trying to reason. "Just watch your back, all of you," Ricki called, seeming to even include Liora in that warning as Allan sprung out from behind his shielding tree and ran for the bush containing the rest of his friends.

Liora moved into position beside them carefully, and gave Remona one last uncertain glance.

"We'll be fine," she asserted confidently. "Go with them," she shouted to the archer. Liora nodded and withdrew into the brush, taking the injured children with her.

The anonymous lead elf cackled sarcastically. "Aww. How incredibly foolish! I guess you humans think dying a useless death is brave or something? Well, rest assured. None of you will be resting in peace," he snarled. "We'll crush you two, and then annihilate your little friends. They won't get far," he goaded sinisterly.

Remona rolled her eyes. Was it just that this guy liked to hear himself talk? She was getting irritated and bored with his banter, but the elf's choice of words had just given her an idea. She reached out and pressed her right palm flat against the tree she was using as a shield. To her fortune, her hunch appeared to have been correct. A shimmering green strand of energy, connected between her and the tree, dissolved into her hand. She felt a familiar centered and tingly sensation permeate through her hand and be distributed to the rest of her body.

She timed her maneuver carefully and stepped halfway out from behind her covering tree. "Not if I crush you first," she retorted and flexed her hand powerfully forward. Just as before, a solid, granite boulder emerged from her flesh as she released the stored rocky energy. She hurled the boulder at the group of elves, all of which couldn't have looked more surprised.

The lead elf and the elf called Denzil managed to suppress their momentary shock seeing an ordinary human perform magic and jump more agilely than natural out of the way. However the third elf's sense of awe was enough to cost him his reaction time; he was still in the path of the gargantuan rock and no amount of fancy acrobatics would save him. The rock's large shadow fell over him before it landed on top of him and into the earth with a tremendous thud.

This distraction had provided Ricki with adequate time to change positions and he raced to join Remona behind her tree. Watching every movement of the remaining two elves, Ricki confronted her with a voice full of accusing curiosity. "How'd you do that? Humans can't do magic!" he hissed, uncertainty starting to surface into his voice.

Remona swiftly traced her thoughts, seeking the easiest way to explain the vampiric spell to the refugee. "I can't do magic, well not what you're thinking of," she corrected herself absently as a protest tingled through her body from her dragoon spirit. "Never mind. It's elfish magic. These guys cast a spell to drain the energy out of the forest and it left a magic 'residue'—WATCH OUT!" Remona explained in one breath as she and Ricki were forced to seek new cover. Their tree began to splinter at the base before it tipped dangerously and fell to the ground after them moments later.

The lead elf had a shimmering green ring around his fists, and Remona noticed another large boulder at the base of their previous tree. "Very clever human, if you weren't vermin I'd applaud you! However, you'll be displeased to hear that strand of energy you just wasted with your greedy human hands was the last one in this sector. And unlike you, human, we have magic of our own!" he mocked nastily.

Determined to prove this scum as lying, Remona reached for the bark of the tree in front of her, and found to her dismay what the elf had said was true. Tuning into her surroundings on a magical level as best she could, Remona realized that the whole part of the forest did seem . . . empty.

"Damn. . ." Remona cursed under her breath.

Ricki watched her reaction with tension. "Any more bright ideas?" he asked anxiously.

Remona considered to herself for a moment. "Just one," she said at last. "But you'll have to help me," she announced quietly.

"You got it," Ricki nodded in assurance.

"Follow me, keep low, and on my signal, go for the leader," Remona whispered, barely audible as another piece of solid rock came hurtling towards them followed shortly by a second. Remona took a deep breath to steady herself before springing out into plain view and sprinting as fast as she could in front of the elf named Denzil.

Remona was relieved to find that the dark elf was currently playing right into her plan, and as expected he saw them and seemed to become target-locked solely on the two humans running in front of him. Denzil blasted rocks their direction every few seconds propelled by emerald energy, causing the pair of humans to dodge by bending at odd and uncomfortable angles to avoid being flattened. They had a few narrow avoids, but Remona was counting down every step she took to their objective, a semi-circle around the two elves.

Everything was going according to plan, when she and Ricki passed between the firing ranges of the two elves, the lead elf also started to sling boulders carelessly, blind to his subordinate's own attack patterns.

"Down!" Remona shouted loudly at Ricki and together she and the refugee leader simultaneously dove into the dirt as the two elves' attacks passed overhead and crashed into each other in a bright crossfire of energy. The sound of rock crashing above rolled like thunder and was about four times as loud. Remona and Ricki winced from where they lay, curled on the ground and clasped their hands over their ears.

When the noise died and the dust cleared, the two elves were also on the ground. One was dead and the leader was severely injured and bleeding profusely from his flattened left side. Remona knew the threat was over and quickly returned to her feet. She drew her sapphire sword once more and descended upon the live elf.

He looked up at her and his lip curled defiantly, but he was able to do little else. "Very…clever. . .human. But now. . .you've crippled yourself. . . .with your own sword. Our absence. . .will not go unnoticed. . .by General Ziran. He will send reinforcements. . .He'll track your. . . .petty band down.. ." he wheezed as blood dripped from his lips while he spoke.

Remona growled, un-amused and put the sword to his throat. "That would depend on whether or not your 'General' actually gives a damn about you. Honestly, if he's even a fraction as arrogant as you, I don't think he'll even realize you're missing," Remona said coldly.

The elf cackled, but it came out as a pitiful choke. His laughter soon faded into fits of coughing. With the heavy heaving of his chest the elf had to struggle to maintain his taunting tone. "Human. Shows your ignorance. General Ziran. . . he is the eyes and ears. . . of Lord Nvernias. . .and his ears. . .his ears and eyes know everything. You've signed your. . .death warrant. . .human," the elf sneered through sputters.

"And speaking of stupidity, you've signed yours. I wasn't maimed by an ally's attack. You aren't worth my time anymore, especially a nameless nobody wretch like you," Remona retorted and turned to walk away, sheathing her sword.

"Turn your back on me. . .human. . .," the elf coughed maliciously. "You. . . want to . . . know my name? I'll tell . .. you. It's Captain Risveth, TAKE IT WITH YOU TO HELL!" he screeched vehemently as one cohesive sentence and with the last of his strength he drew a dagger from his belt and charged Remona.

Remona registered his movements out of the corner of her eye and was in the middle of drawing her sword mid-spin as she turned to face her attacker, but there was no need. A shining, midnight blue light burst forth from her choker and repulsed the mortally wounded elf away from her and into a nearby tree in a literal flash.

Captain Risveth's eyes widened in pure shock. "No. . .it can't be! You're. . .you're of one the. . ." he started to announce, causing Ricki to eye him oddly and Remona to tense. He vomited blood and bile from the corner of his mouth before he could finish. The elf was suddenly overcome with demented fury and as broken as his frame already was, he stood anew and started forward again stumbling all the way and mumbling incoherently.

"The rumors, rumors. . .true.. . .matter. . .not. . .can't fight. . .Shi. . . Hedar. . ." he babbled manically.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about, scum?" Remona growled dangerously as the elf took one last, dilapidated lurch forward in attempt to finish her off.

This time, Ricki intercepted the elf captain in the stomach with his mace, halting him and ultimately stopping him as he reached fruitlessly for Remona. Captain Risveth glared spitefully at Ricki through hazy eyes before they rolled back into his head and he was finally dead.

"Damn, the dude just wouldn't die. That was odd with a capital O," Ricki said turning to Remona with a sarcastic grin.

Remona nodded. "You're telling me. Thanks for that," she said simply, gesturing to the fallen elf's body.

Ricki nodded and removed his mace from the body. "Actually, I'm the one who should be thanking you. You and your friend. If not for you two, me and my friends probably would have died. Thank you again. And. . ." he started, almost reluctantly.

"And?" Remona repeated.

"And I'm sorry for the trouble me and my friends have caused you today. In particular, I wanted to apologize for my actions. I was just being a sore loser when you beat me. You're truly incredible, miss-?" he started sincerely.

"Nightlark. I'm Remona Nightlark," she replied simply, knowing that it was safe to introduce herself and extended her hand to the rogue. She had accepted his apology, so she felt more at ease around him now. But that wasn't her only motive. By accepting his apology, she had also hoped the refugee leader would now speak with her more openly as well. Liora had been right. He was nothing like what she had originally perceived him to be.

"I'm Ricki Johnson, nice to know your name now, Remona. You know, I'd be honored if you'd come back to the camp with me, your friend should be there too," Ricki offered, shaking her hand.

"I'd appreciate it," Remona replied and together the two of them left the battle scene.

Ricki began leading the young dragoon further into the depths of the eastern woods and at first the going was slow and he was silent. Remona could tell he was deep in thought about something and he seemed to want to ask her a question, but he never said a word. Remona decided to break the ice herself, seeing as Ricki didn't seem to be inclined to, maybe it was his way of trying not to pry and be polite.

"Thinking about something?" she asked casually.

Ricki looked back over his shoulder and held up a stray tree branch so Remona could walk under with ease. "Yeah, kind of obvious isn't it?" he started sheepishly. "I was actually thinking about what happened back there from start to finish, and the impact this is going to have on me and my friends. I can see that you've got a lot of questions yourself. I think you probably caught the fact that me and my friends are from Furni," he began.

"What happened there?" Remona asked without further delay. "Liora tells me that they haven't had word at the palace in a while," Remona informed.

Ricki gave her a surprised look. "Your friend is from the Crystal Palace?" he asked in interest.

Remona swiftly realized her error; Liora probably wouldn't have wanted anyone to know where she was from. "Her mother works there," Remona corrected swiftly.

Ricki nodded. "I see. But, to be blunt, Furni was attacked, and I mean brutally. That's what happened," he began with a sudden bitterness entering into his voice. "It was about a month ago . . . and it happened at night- the cowards . . . sorry. I get so angry thinking about it. . ." he snarled through gritted teeth. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and then started again. "I'll start from the beginning. To be precise the attack happened about a month and a half ago now, it was a pretty normal day in Furni, everybody was going about their own way, nothing exciting happening. We'd been having some minor tremors, but we though those were nothing more than wave activity in the channels. Anyway, when the sun went down, that's when things went wrong. I was outside, fishing for glow-trout with my dad when suddenly a bunch of buildings down the street burst into flame. The people in the houses came running out, and then they started falling and screaming in pain. That's when I realized there were fire arrows falling down all around us like rain. It was horrible . . . there was no safe place. If you stayed in your house burned alive, if you ran outside you got shot by arrows," he said darkly.

"Anyway, we had just gotten my mother and sister out of the house and discovered from the town guard that our town was under siege on the northern border, then we saw them-these huge tree-things! They had to be over three stories tall! I mean they were trees, but they had faces and were moving, they were walking and stomping on houses, people, and everything else that was around! The town guard tried everything; they couldn't stop them, they were no match. Nobody knows exactly what happened, but Captain Harris and his family, along with the Mayor and his wife were taken prisoners. They were key to keeping order, without them, everything just fell into chaos and before we could blink our town was being stormed by dark elves. When the attack was over, everything was in ruins and it was only then we discovered the reason for the attack in the first place. The elves were looking for something. They didn't find it though, because they stayed around searching. I was there about a week before I escaped," he recounted quietly, relieving some unseen experience.

"They turned our town upside down! They turned our people into workers, no better than slaves under pain of death and sometimes much worse! The elves also sealed off all our communications, the falconry towers and the like were some of the first things that they destroyed. They knew what they were doing, because we had no way to call for help. That's why I ran away in the first place, my mother told me to get to Deningrad and tell the queen what happened," he said with seething anger.

Remona listened carefully to every detail of what Ricki was saying, taking it all in. When he was finished, she voiced her own questions. "Why haven't you been to Deningrad then?" Remona asked, confused.

Ricki's facial expression softened slightly and he sighed. "I had every intention of going without stopping, but then I came across Allan and a few of the others while I was in the forest and they were being chased by elves. I saved them, but they had nowhere to go once I did and they were just clueless kids at the time, you know? What was I supposed to do, just leave them there helpless? I couldn't take them with me either, because there were too many of them and there are elves all over the forest. We wouldn't have gotten very far; a large group traveling together would have brought them on us straight away. So I stayed with them, and we found a safe place to hide until we can come up with a better plan. So far, we haven't had any breakthroughs. The one positive side to this whole thing is that we've been there to help others who've escaped. Our group has actually grown considerably since me and the first of the boys banded together, right now we have forty-seven people. I know what you're thinking, somebody out of that large number should have been able to make it through the woods, but the odd thing is that the only people who seem to be escaping are kids and few people a little younger than us. I'm the oldest one in the bunch, and I'm only nineteen," Ricki answered oddly.

Remona felt herself frown. "Well, that might be because the elves found the adults first, or because they figure the natural dangers of the forest would kill the children so they didn't have to concern themselves with finding them," Remona suggested.

Ricki sighed. "I thought about that too, but recently with the way they've been hunting us, it tells a completely different story. But you asked, and that's the real reason I haven't been able to make it to Deningrad yet. I mean, you have no idea how badly all of this eats at me every day; the faces of my neighbors, friends, and family haunt me, and I desperately wish somehow we'd get a break and can make a run for it. Remona, you don't understand, our conditions are horrible! Those elves torture and kill people I know and love every day that I'm stuck here and not knowing what's happening, nobody can help us! But at the same time, the children need me too and their need is more immediate than the people of Furni as a whole. Damn it all," Ricki growled miserably, "I wish I could be stronger, I feel as if I should be able to do more. . ." Ricki breathed with an undertone of despair.

"Everyone does what they can. Personally, I think you made the right choice. You're right, I don't think those kids would have made it very far without you either. Speaking of which, why hasn't the Mayor of Furni done anything? Or Captain Harris? They might have been taken captive, but being Mayor or Guard Captain, you've got to have connections. Even if you're imprisioned?" Remona asked, speaking her mind.

Ricki slowly breathed in and then exhaled the breath deeply as he hopped over a fallen tree trunk. "I'm hoping," he said, coming back to the prior topic, "that someone else has been sent in my place to Deningrad by now. I've gone back a few times to scout the conditions in Furni from the outskirts and each time things just get worse. Captain Harris and his family are being held in separate bunkers by the harbor from what I can gather and they're under constant surveillance around the clock so it would be hard for them to speak with anyone at all," he said, coming around to Remona's question.

"Now, Mayor Flanders on the other hand might be able to do something. He and his wife are locked up in the old Guard tower, now under the charge of General Ziran. They're up high enough where it would be hard for guards to monitor them all the time, especially if a message were to come by the outside and through the air," Ricki speculated.

"Has no one tried to get a message to him? If what you said is true, why hasn't he done anything? The Mayor, I mean? Any course of action at all seems like it would be better than nothing in these circumstances. You said they're locked in the guard tower? I'll bet somebody in town knows how to infiltrate it, especially a guard of the city. And you said the tower is under the watch of General Ziran? Who's he again? That elf back there mentioned the name too. And, about those tree-things you saw? If you don't mind, I'd like to know more about them as well," Remona pressed further.

Ricki started skeptically at Remona for a moment. "I can understand curiosity, but with the way you're asking questions . . . you aren't actually considering going there, are you?" he asked incredulously.

Remona nodded. "Truth be told, yes, I am thinking of going there. My friend Liora and I were traveling there before we ran into you. I know that Furni is the only port with sailable conditions out of Mille Seseu and Liora and I need to catch a ship across the sea," Remona explained simplistically, giving away as little as she could about her own predicament, just in case being too detailed backfired on them.

"Well, I hate to say it, but it looks like you're going to be stuck in Mille Seseu for a while. There's no way a ship can sail anywhere with those elves around," Ricki snorted.

"Then there must be another way off the continent and we'll have to find it. This is important," Remona furthered. To her, finding the Black Monster and the man who could inform her about it as soon as possible was urgent need enough to cross the sea, not to mention Liora's need to find a cure for the queen.

Ricki considered to himself for a moment. "So that's why you were out here to begin with. Well, I guess that if you say it's important then you're the judge of that. I don't know of any way out of Mille Seseu other than by boat either, but one of the townsfolk in Furni might. You'd need to ask around and I could give you a few names if you're straight set on going," Ricki suggested.

Remona sighed. "That presents another problem. Any ideas on how Liora and I can get into Furni undetected?" she pointed out.

Ricki grinned. "Now that, I can help you with. I know of a way in, it's a secret passage in the riverbank rift, under the crystalline waterfall; the passage uses one of the empty canals and comes up under the old inn. I'd be happy to take you after we regroup at the base, it's the least I can do to repay you for today," the refugee leader offered.

Remona nodded curtly. "It would be greatly appreciated," she assured.

Ricki blinked, as if remembering something. "Oh, right. Now back to your other questions. Since you're determined to go in, I'll give you all the information I can. I'll start with Mayor Flanders. I'd guess the reason he hasn't done anything is because he's still too grief stricken," Ricki answered.

"Grief-stricken? Over what, his town?" Remona asked in confusion.

"No, it's his son, Tohan. His only son was killed the night of the attack along with his pet, Kamuy," Ricki clarified.

"Killed by elves?" Remona guessed aloud and Ricki nodded.

"But not just by any elf, which brings us to General Ziran. Rumor has it that General Ziran killed Tohan himself. General Ziran is the elf in charge at Furni and the apparent overseer of everything that goes on there. He directed the attack, supposedly. He's easily recognized by the scar he has, so if you see it, I'd stay away," Ricki warned.

"A scar? And, since this guy lead the attack on the town are you implying that he's in control of those tree-things? I mean, I find it a bit difficult to swallow, I'm not quite sure such things can really exist. Are you sure of what you saw?" Remona asked with well-founded skepticism. In all her life around scholars and working at the library she'd never once heard or read about such a creature.

"Don't be so sure of yourself. Not much is known about elves, so these creatures very well could be real. I doubt he'd lie to you, given his current situation," came the sudden voice of Rose from around Remona's neck. Remona nearly jumped from the surprise, she'd forgotten Rose temporarily when the fighting first began. No doubt the ghost had been watching everything occur. "We'll talk later, in private," Rose prompted before Remona could ask anything aloud.

Remona placed her hand gingerly over her choker, as if to silence Rose. A strange tingle passed through her fingers, it felt dark and foreboding. . . something odd was at work.

Ricki, whom had fallen silent, was starting at her oddly. "I know. . .it sounds crazy. I wouldn't have believed it either, but I saw it with my own eyes. So did all of the others, you can ask any of them. I can understand why you'd be reluctant to believe it, but getting back to General Ziran, I honestly don't think he was the one controlling those things. I've seen him; he's pretty strong, but not . . . strong enough. I also know he's not acting on his own. He has a superior, someone he answers to, although I don't know who it is. And as for the scar, it's pretty hard to miss it; he has a slash across his face, like a gash that didn't heal right. Rumor has it Tohan, the Mayor's son gave it to him before the General killed him . . . it's a pity. He was out of his right mind to challenge Ziran. I never took him for fighter, he was actually very reserved and quiet, not like you. Say, what you did back there, it was amazing. How'd you learn to fight like that? And what was that light?" Ricki asked, with admiration.

"What light? I didn't see anything," Remona defended, she didn't need anyone to know what she was.

Ricki looked at her questioningly. "How did you not see it? It was really bright?"

Remona shrugged it off nonchalantly. If she told Ricki everything else, she knew that the fact she and Liora were dragoons had to remain secret. "It might have been some extra magic, now that you mention it, I can't really say for sure. Anyway," she prompted swiftly, "I used to live in Deningrad. My neighborhood wasn't the greatest, if you get what I mean. So I learned to fight to protect myself. I learned mostly on my own and watching more experienced people. I have one more question," Remona asked, redirecting the subject.

"Go on," Ricki assured.

"The Mayor's son, Tohan, was it? Why did General Ziran kill him? These elves don't seem to think too highly of humans, that Captain a while ago thought we were almost too unworthy to look at him. If the General went after a specific human, there has to be a reason," Remona inferred.

Ricki shrugged. "That's a good question. Nobody seems to know why, and personally I don't either unless Tohan mouthed off, but he wouldn't do that," Ricki reasoned.

"Did you know him?" Remona asked in interest.

Ricki nodded. "Yeah, I've known Tohan since he was little. He was really strange—I mean not in a bad way, just different. Even when we were still just kids, sometimes he'd lift things that five grown people couldn't. And he was always hanging around that wolf, Kamuy. My parents didn't want me around the pair of them to be honest; they said Kamuy was a killer and a dangerous animal and that Tohan was too weird for me to associate with respectably. I always thought my parents were a bit extreme about things like that, I guess maybe the fact that Tohan's eyes were two different colors freaked them out, your guess is as good as mine," Ricki reminisced.

"Well—did he—was he a mean kind of person? You said he wasn't mouthy," Remona continued.

"No, not at all. Tohan was probably as nice as the next guy, maybe even more so considering that he was never disrespectful to anyone, even when they teased him. I mean, the guy wasn't like my best buddy or anything and in fact he and I weren't really friends, more like acquaintances, but even so I have to say he was one of the most level-headed people I've ever known. It was almost impossible to make the guy mad. The only reason I can think of that General Ziran might have killed for was because he was the Mayor's son and the Mayor didn't cooperate in something. I really don't know," the refugee leader explained.

Remona nodded dismissively. "Maybe. I guess it doesn't really matter right now. Say, where are we going anyway? How much further is it? We've been walking for an hour and a half," Remona questioned curiously.

"We're there now," Ricki replied as he and Remona walked into a clearing, housing a small town of stone ruins. Remona suddenly felt an unexplainable shiver pass down her spine, and seemingly into her heart. "Do you know where you are?" Ricki inquired.

Gazing around at the ruins, some which were charred black even after many years and rains later, Remona knew instantly where she was. "Neet. It was a town that fell victim to the Black Monster over 50 years ago. Now it's a shrine to all of those who died there," Remona recited as she had once read from a book in the library.

Ricki nodded again. "This was the best place to hide. The elves don't come here and there are many hard-to-find places within the ruins so even if they did come here they probably couldn't find us. Come with me and relax a little, you look stressed out. Trust me, you're as safe here as you could possibly be in the forest region," Ricki coaxed and lead Remona down the worn dirt path to the deserted ruins.

The instant Remona stepped through the destroyed stone archway into Neet, she felt the same shiver, only ten times more intense, pass through her body again. Maybe it was just her nerves, seeing the historical and personal significance the place held. Remona fell stiffly silent and couldn't help but ogle her surroundings in horror, realizing instantly that everything she looked upon was in a devastated condition and all because of the Black Monster—her quarry.

Nothing at all seemed to have been left intact and the town was expansive. . .more so than Remona had imagined in her mind or read about, especially since she was seeing the destruction firsthand with her own eyes. Not one building was left whole and every framework that remained, every foundation, was charred with ebon soot. An icy draft washed over Remona's body, like winter's strongest wind. A dull blue glimmer framed the edge of Remona's vision, causing her to blink.

Ricki, whom seemed perfectly fine, didn't seem to notice Remona's odd behavior; he was leading them expertly through the desolate city streets. He finally stopped on the corner of some left-bend in a road and pointed to a sizable clear area between two large building remains next to what resembled a street light.

"This way, follow me. I usually pay respects to the shrine each day, to thank Soa that my friends and I have been so fortunate to hide here and I also pray for the souls of all who died here. I haven't gone today, and if you're not in a hurry would you mind taking a short visit to the memorial with me? It's actually not far away from the base," the rogue leader asked, however Remona wasn't listening. The dull blue fuzz that had threatened her eyesight earlier overcame her senses and gave her sight that wasn't her own.

A man, in full red platemail with long, stringy blonde hair looked down upon her and sneered as Rose's voice called out to him in dismay.

"Zeig! Why are you doing this!" she shouted frantically.

The man, named Zieg snickered. "All is the will of the creator, Soa! The moonchild shall—" Zeig never finished his sentence, and was suddenly replaced by another vision.

A terrified, blond-headed woman was huddled in the corner of a burning building, but not just any building. The building was ablaze with black fire, seemingly the same type as Remona had produced in Deningrad. Then came a blood-stopping voice. It was menacing and unearthly as it echoed and danced through the black fire, terrible and strong.

"**WHERE IS PRINCESS LOUVIA! WHERE IS THE MOONCHILD!" ** the demonic voice howled mercilessly.

The terrified woman stuttered for words. "Lea. . .leave us alone! Princess Louvia isn't here! She left for the-"

"Remona, are you alright? You look kind of pale. Maybe we'd better skip the visit and go straight to HQ," Ricki stated in concern as his dirt-covered face came back into focus.

Remona blinked once more and attempted to relax; every muscle in her body was tense. "No, no. I'm fine. What were you saying? You want to visit the memorial? It's alright by me," Remona reassured, more to recompose herself than anything.

Ricki nodded slowly before leading Remona down the cleared path which ended about 200 feet later in a dead end with a large stone tablet rising out of the ground. A mass gravestone to the people of Neet.

Ricki and Remona approached the shrine and Ricki knelt with his hands together, beginning to pray silently with his eyes closed. Remona remained standing, and took a look around with a sweep of her eyes. The teenage dragoon rested her eyes on the memorial stone that served as a grave marker. She inexplicably found herself reading names from the stone, perhaps some morbid curiosity to see how many had been claimed by the demon here in one night. Surprisingly, she saw two names that seemed familiar. Claire and Zeig Feld~ Zeig, possibly being the person she'd just seen and Feld, the surname of the man Rose had instructed her to find.

This connection aroused many questions in Remona's already turbulent mind along with one other she had made earlier that was nagging at her. The voice of the Black Monster and the jet-black fire. . . they had been seemingly just like Remona's own when she was in dragoon form. It was one of many troubling things that she would attempt to extract an explanation out of Rose for later.

Putting her present thoughts to rest, Remona closed her eyes and bowed her own head to give her own remembrance to the people of Neet. She prayed silently, not to Soa, but to a general state of goodness that they would rest in peace, and on a deeper, more selfish level, Remona prayed she would not join her name to their list as yet another victim of the Black Monster.

"May this tragedy never happen again and may the past remain the past," she prayed aloud in a barely audible whisper.

An ear-splitting shriek filled the air, causing Remona to snap her eyes open and draw her sword with incredible speed. Remona checked her surroundings intensely, scanning for the source of the noise, but found nothing, only Ricki, who jerked upwards in confusion when he saw Remona draw her weapon in a state of alert.

"What's wrong?" he asked, cautiously.

Remona raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Did you not just hear that scream?" she asked in a state of battle-ready alarm.

Ricki's alerted expression returned to one of concern. "Scream? What scream? Did you hear someone scream?" he asked, slowly.

"Yes! A woman! How could you not have heard it just now? Someone is in real trouble; it sounded like she was dying!" Remona attested urgently.

Ricki tilted his head, listening quietly, then slowly returned to his feet. "Remona, nobody even whispered that I heard. Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, skeptically.

Remona couldn't understand it; she had heard the scream as clearly as if the woman who made it were standing right next to her. Remona sighed and suddenly realized how tired she was; her entire body seemed to protest even the slightest movements and all her muscles where aching dully. If her body was that exhausted it was only natural that her mind should be as well. Remona took a deep breath.

"I think I'm just tired. It's been a long day and I've probably just heard one too many ghost stories lately," Remona apologized, evoking a dull sparkle from within her choker.

Ricki nodded sympathetically. "I hear that. We've spent enough time here, we can go now. This way," he replied softly.

The remainder of the walk was spent in silence as Ricki lead his new friend down a few more twisted alleyways and over debris moldy with time across their charred surfaces. When they stopped, they were standing in front of a tall ruin, with steep arching sides.

"Watch your head coming in," Ricki warned gently as he passed under a hanging rafter through what once must have been a grand doorway. The inside of the ruin was almost as bare as the streets outside, but it seemed to be here of all the places that she had seen, the black fire had struck the hardest. The entirety of the scorched interior of this building was midnight black, on every plausible surface. Nothing at all remained unblemished from the soot and shadow. Surprisingly, even the air had a darkened hue to it.

Remona followed Ricki's every step to the utmost precision and stopped just a few feet from the farthest wall. There was a gaping hole in the stonework, and what remained of the infrastructure suggested it might have once been an arch. A faint, almost indistinguishable sparkle framed the arch, perhaps the remains of glass.

Almost as soon as the thought occurred, Remona's vision blurred and everything around her warped. The building she had been standing in prior to the onset of vision had been completely restored in the blink of an eye. It was a beautiful chapel with high wooden rafters, rows and rows of deep mahogany benches, and an altar covered with little ivory carvings and candles in front. Behind this altar set high on the wall as a backdrop was an arching stained-glass window depicting the moonchild's descent in vibrant colors. It was so godly . . . it reminded Remona of her father and made her want to hurl. This feeling stirred something deep inside, and it began to show. Black fire suddenly enveloped the entire establishment and Remona heard screaming voices. However, the one she heard above all else, she suddenly admired as the loathing blossomed in her heart, and that scared her.

"**DEATH TO THE MOONCHILD AND ALL WHO SEEK ITS RETURN!" **the haunting voice of the Black Monster bellowed with a clear hatred burning in its soul. Without warning, Remona saw a ball of what appeared to be blackish-pink energy spiral into the window, causing it to shatter into sparkles and the interior of the building to explode. . .

Just as suddenly as the vision had come, it receded, leaving Remona back in the present standing in the long-forgotten church. The vision had gone, but something still felt off to Remona. For some reason, it felt like there were more than two people in the room, and almost as if they were below. . .she could hear laughter and lots of talking. Blinking, she brought her attention completely back to the scenarios happening in the now. She noticed Ricki kneeling beside the wall about to tap a stone in front of him. Remona pieced things together, because blinking hadn't subdued the feeling. "They're below us," Remona deduced suddenly.

Ricki looked over his shoulder at her in surprise as he pressed on the stone, causing it to depress into the wall a few inches. "That's right- how did you know?"

Remona grinned. "I guessed. That and the floor in here is hollow," she replied, tapping her left foot on the blackened ground and producing a faint but audible echoing sound.

Ricki grinned too as a few stones in the floor in front of him slid back to reveal a hidden stairwell. "Can't fool you," he said with admiration, "It's just down here," he added and disappeared into the staircase underground with Remona quietly following.

As if the stone itself held a consciousness, it closed once Remona's head was safely out of the way and automatically reset itself, closing off the final rays of the dim sunset as they attempted feebly to pierce the blackness of Neet. What had been taken away in forms of natural lighting was now supplemented with manmade torchlight as Ricki grabbed a burning extra from the right wall and led the way down the darkened corridor. At the end of the narrow stone hallway was a large, wooden door, heavy-laden with dirt and dust in its many weathered cracks and hinges. Two young boys with crudely made spears guarded the outside, and Remona could clearly hear the muffled noises coming from behind the doorway.

"Ricki? Oh thank God! We thought you—well, who's that with you?" the boy on the left asked, squinting his eyes in the dim light.

"Thanks for the bout of confidence, Tom," Ricki replied teasingly as he ruffled the kid's orange hair. "Glad to see you too. This is Remona Nightlark, she's a friend. Now, let us in please," he laughed.

Both boys immediately lowered their weapons, relief washing over their young faces. "You got it, boss," said the boy on the right as he pulled out a rusted key from a ratty pant pocket. He unlocked the door and together he and Tom opened the door between them.

When Remona could see through the open doorway, she found that instead of several rooms or an underground bunker of sorts that the door merely closed off one large chamber, all lined in stone. There were many people in here along with odd ragtag assortments of belongings placed spontaneously next to walls or on makeshift sleeping mats.

It was by one of these mats that Remona spotted Liora; she was kneeling over someone and her clean white shirt was a stark contrast to the dingy, lusterless attire that the rest of the refugees wore. A small crowd had gathered around her, and Remona watched her as she bandaged a little boy's swollen ankle in a strip of tan linen.

"Well, this is it. It's not much, but it works," Ricki announced proudly. "Why don't you go check in with your friend and I'll come find you once I check on some things?" Ricki suggested.

"Sounds good," she answered as she started in Liora's direction. As she approached, Liora was too busy to notice her arrival, but the crowd of children around her did. Seven or more sets of childish eyes met her arrival, some with apprehension, but all with curiosity. To Remona's surprise, a few of her new spectators were girls. Up until that point, she'd only seen boys.

"Hello! I haven't seen you before. Are you new, like Miss Liora? I'm Bobby," a very small boy with bright green eyes asked eagerly. Remona made to answer him, but Liora called out to her first.

"Remona! I'm glad to see that you're alright! I mean, not that I doubted you would be, but still—I didn't feel right leaving you and Ricki alone against that many elves. I had to deal with a few we didn't see—they came after us about halfway here," Liora said grimly, though Remona could clearly see the relief plastered all over her face.

"Did everyone make it here unharmed?" Remona asked with a slight pang of guilt over the thought of Liora having been left to fight alone. Remona was also touched that Liora cared about her enough to be worried. She had such a sense of compassion.

"Yes. Everybody made it, though we did suffer some minor injuries in that second round of battle. I've spent the time here I've had bandaging up some of the more serious injuries I've come across. It's just," she began hesitantly, looking around, "There are just so many of them that need medical care, and these conditions are really harsh. I'm doing everything I can—there you go, Jake," Liora explained as she finished wrapping the injured boy's ankle.

Remona took a look around for herself and sighed. "Well, it looks like they really needed the help after all. Are you almost done with this bunch?" Remona asked, though politely.

"Yes. I want to talk with you about something in private, and I'm guessing you want to tell me a few things as well," Liora said, reading Remona's expression clearly.

Remona nodded simply. "Where's the best place?" she added, searching the area for any space that was uninhabited.

Liora motioned Remona to follow her over into an unoccupied corner. Once they were sure they weren't being watched by every child in the vicinity, Liora let out a heavy sigh. "Where do I start?"she asked wearily.

"Would it be easier if I go first?" Remona offered, taking notice of her friend's discomfort.

Liora nodded gratefully. "Please do," she encouraged.

Remona cleared the dry, scratchiness out of her throat with a cough. "Well, I spoke to Ricki on the way here and found out about what's going on. I'm sure you've asked around too," Remona said, gaining an affirmative nod from Liora. "According to Ricki, he says that the entire city of Furni has been overrun by dark elves and a couple of huge tree-looking monsters are their primary weapons. The elves are holding the Mayor and the knights hostage and they've sealed off the ports. Apparently, they've also blocked off the rest of the city somehow and are hunting down everyone they know to have escaped. That explains why everyone here is in hiding. The good news is that even though Ricki says the city is in shambles that some of the citizens still might be able to help us. Ricki also said he knows a secret way into the city. The best course of action would be to enter the city as soon as possible and leave as quickly and quietly as we can. The elves will be looking for us once they realize their patrols have gone missing," Remona relayed.

Liora nodded, though her head drooped with exhaustion. "Well, your story matches mine from what I've been able to gather, so the likelihood it's true is high. I agree that we should leave soon, but what are we going to do about the refugees? They can't stay in here forever and it's only a matter of time before the elves find them. And when they do, they'll kill all of them," Liora said quietly with dread.

"That's why we leave soon, and create a diversion when we do. It won't solve all their problems, but it will buy them time. In the time the elves are chasing us they will have to make a run for Deningrad together," Remona proposed boldly.

Liora rubbed her sagging eyelids. "That would have to be a HUGE diversion. It would take nothing short of a miracle to draw all the patrols out of the woods to give them a clear shot," Liora reasoned.

Remona nodded, though a sly smile was creeping onto her face. "I know. But between us, what would you perceive as a bigger threat, a dragoon or a group of children?" she clarified secretively.

Liora's brown eyes widened in surprise. "You mean—but if we make an attack on an entire forest full of scouts we'll be hideously outnumbered and captured or killed for sure!" she exclaimed skeptically.

Remona shook her head. "I never said that we should attack them, you're right in the fact we probably wouldn't last very long. I was thinking more along the lines of playing an age-old fear. . ." she said suggestively.

"And just and appearance is needed for that," Liora said slowly, realization catching on. "I understand. That way, they don't really know who we are either, so in human form, we could easily pass for regular people—"

"—while they jump around chasing shadows. You got it," Remona affirmed.

Liora sighed. "That presents one more problem though. I still don't know how to transform," she said sheepishly.

Remona felt a strong vibration from her choker. "I said I would teach you. How about tomorrow? It'll probably take Ricki a little while to prepare for leading us, so my guess is we'll be here at least another day," Remona pointed out.

A faint smile crossed Liora's tired expression.

"What is it?" Remona asked uncertainly.

Liora chuckled softly and looked away. "It's silly. Really it is, but I can't find words to explain this feeling. I guess, it's like fate or something… I feel as if my dragoon spirit is actually a part of my human one, you know? Like it's drawing power from my spirit, not the other way around. When I was healing those children, it was almost like I could feel my dragoon spirit grow stronger. . . ." she trailed off.

"You're doing something that you love. That empowers every part of you. It makes sense that you would feel stronger. You want to heal; it is a part of who you are. On a less happy note," Remona said sarcastically, "Yeah I know what you mean in the fate thing too. I feel like we've got something we're supposed to do that hasn't happened yet and helping these people might just be the start," she added somewhat crossly. She didn't like the feeling of being sucked into anything without her consent, whether it was helpful for others or not.

Before either of them could say anything else, the little boy who had introduced himself earlier as Bobby came over and tugged on the corner of Liora's shorts to get her attention.

Liora was patient and polite with the interruption. "Yes, Bobby?" she asked gently.

"Miss Liora, my friend Sam is really sick, can you go help him like you did to Jake?" he pleaded desperately.

Liora nodded softly. "Sure. Let's go take a look shall we? Why don't you come too, Remona?" she suggested.

Remona nodded wordlessly and followed Liora across the stone floor of the chamber to the mat of a boy that was shivering violently and huddled under a pile of filthy rags serving as blankets. The child was sweating, and with the way he was shaking it was obvious that he had a severe fever even to those without any sort of medical knowledge.

Liora's eyes flickered for a moment with seriousness, but then flared with determination. "How long has he been sick, Bobby?" Liora asked looking at the child in sympathy.

Bobby shrugged, although his shoulders slumped.

"About two weeks, we've done everything we can for him, but we still can't seem to get his fever down," Ricki supplied for him from behind the group.

Liora devoted her attention to him. "What have you given him? Anything? What are his symptoms?"

Ricki gave her a quizzical expression. "Are you a doctor, Miss-?"

"Liora," she finished softly for him. "And no, I'm not a doctor per say, but I have had some schooling in medicine. I'd like to help him if I can," she answered with a slight twinge of remorseful emotions in her tone. Remona knew Liora's ambition was to become a true doctor, but for now, they would have to make do with the skills she already had.

"Well, certainly do what you can. Something is better than nothing, Liora. You already have my thanks for escorting my friends back here safely earlier today. To answer your questions Sam's been shivering, sweating, and coughing for about a week. He's not awake often," Ricki explained grimly, "and when he is he's delusional. We've been giving him plenty of water and we gave him some powdered lillyvine, the old folk remedy for fever," he added factually.

Liora knelt over the ill child and touched his sweat-stained brow gingerly. "Hmm. That's odd. An illness like a cold or flu doesn't usually last this long. The other thing is that his fever should have died down at least a little bit with the lillyvine if this condition is really related to an internal illness. When he's awake, does he move at all?" the archer asked as she examined the scene before her.

Ricki considered for a moment. "He'll sit up, but it hurts him to walk," he replied.

"Hmm. I have a guess. Let's take a look," Liora said softly and carefully removed the blankets from the sleeping child's legs, and then pulled up the child's tattered pant legs to the knees. Remona's eyes narrowed as she observed the grim sight. The boy's skin was extremely pale and discolored, especially concentrated around the left knee cap.

Liora noticed the pallid coloration straight away and gently pressed her fingers first into the front and then into the back of the boy's knees. The reaction was straightforward, even though the child was in a state of semi-consciousness, he yelped painfully upon her light touch.

"What's wrong, can you tell?" Ricki asked with a pained concern written all over his face.

Liora nodded. "One of the bones in the actual kneecap itself is broken. His body is trying to repair the break, but my guess was he also suffered an open injury over this area at one point because he's also trying to fight off an infection stemming from that area as well. We'll need to reset the bone of course, and then we'll need to give him something to help combat the infection. I have some dragontongue root in my bag we can brew and give him as a tea. We need to get started as soon as possible and I'm going to need some clean water. Do you have any on hand? And—oh! Those would be perfect for a splint," Liora said suddenly, eyeing a pair of wooden practice poles in a nearby bag.

"Right. I'll go look for something we can use to tie the splint into place, but first I'll send someone out for fresh water. We did have some, but used it all earlier," Ricki asserted.

"I'll go get the water while you look around here for ties on the splint. It would be faster that way and probably safer. I know the elves don't know where you are, but I don't like the idea of you sending a kid out into the dark alone," Remona offered, looking down at the sick child before her with sympathy. He looked incredibly weak, like even now, any moment would be his last.

Ricki shrugged. "I agree that I don't usually send people out after dark, but since you're new to the area, I really think that I should go. I don't want you to get lost, and believe me it's easy to do, even in the ruins," he warned.

"Don't worry, I won't get lost. I saw the well on the way to the shrine today. I know where it is," Remona insisted. "And coming back, I also remember precisely which brick you touched. Trust me, I'll be fine," she emphasized. For some odd reason, Remona had the distinct impression that she wouldn't get lost; she was having déjà vu in the worst sense. Even though she'd never seen this place before in her life, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that somehow she'd been here before.

Ricki snorted, but then nodded. "I don't doubt you can take care of yourself. You're a pretty observant person; I probably wouldn't have noticed a well immediately in my entrance to a strange city, but that's just me. Go now, before it gets too much later out," Ricki said simply. He turned to a young girl that had been watching everything curiously on his right. "Tara, go tell Tom and Tim that Remona's allowed to come and go as she wants," he instructed directly.

The little girl bobbed her head excitedly, seemingly happy to be of use and ran off toward the doorway to let the guards know. Remona didn't waste any more time, she shifted her sword on her sash and walked in the same direction, leaving Liora and Ricki to their own devices.

The two boys guarding the doorway to the refuge hideaway opened the doors for her when she arrived and let her pass without complaint. Remona had no trouble finding the exit to the underground passageway, there was only one. The over-hanging stone door for the secret stair automatically withdrew into the wall as she came near, allowing her to step into the cool, and quiet night air unchallenged.

There was an eerie chill in the air, and Remona could tell the sun must have gone down hours ago. Besides the rustling of the wind, there was no sound as Remona exited the ruined church. She started quickly in the direction of the well, hastened by the fact that a familiar shiver traveled down her spine, threatening another vision. She wondered what in devildom it was about this place? It seemed as if someone or something was trying to tell her something, some long forgotten story . . . . Remona physically shook her head, willing the feeling away. She didn't want to think anymore about the place she was in or about the fact that it was the Black Monster that had done this. She had almost reached the well and could clearly see the old, wooden bucket leaning unceremoniously next to it like a forgotten artifact and she shivered profusely. For some reason, it felt like the air temperature had just dropped twenty degrees instantly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Remona caught a trace of movement. She quickly turned around in an attempt to discern the source of motion, but there was nothing there but an empty street. She sighed in resignation. She was becoming steadily more used to these odd apparitions she was experiencing on a daily basis, a fact that reminded her she hadn't physically seen Rose for the better part of the day.

Despite her attempts to purge the influence from her body, subtle shivers began to win over her willpower and she started to see flickers of blue light. Something was different about this though, the hair on the back of her neck prickled as it moved to stand on end. The ominously icy atmosphere started to sink through her skin to the bones beneath, despite having been fine only moments ago. She carefully scanned her surroundings, scrutinizing every shadow. Something definitely wasn't right, she felt like someone was watching her every move.

Remona turned her attention back to the well and began slowly walking toward it. She arrived without further incident and she set about collecting water. She decided that she needed to take a prolonged route back to the others, through the city. The entire time she'd been drawing water, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching her and if indeed she was being watched, she might be being followed. Until she knew for sure, she couldn't risk bringing harm back to Liora or the children.

As she finished pulling the water bucket up for the final time, Remona grasped the rickety iron handle firmly, pressing it against her skin to still the rusted, grating noise it was making in one hand. Her other hand rested expectantly on her sword. The alerted teenager set off at a quickened pace in the opposite direction of the chapel, checking discreetly every few feet for signs of trouble.

It wasn't long before she started seeing motions in her periphery vision once again. They were slight, but in her heightened state of awareness, this person might as well have been jumping around in a pile of dead leaves. About the third time she noted movement, Remona swiftly drew her sword and turned abruptly to face the street corner in question. She calmly walked over and peered around the corner of a black building, chasing the shadow she had just seen. Moments passed, and like before, there was only an abandoned street and the blowing of the icy wind present alongside Remona herself.

Remona scowled inwardly in displeasure and sheathed her ornate rapier, starting to give into the fact that she must be paranoid. She hurried back to the main street in-between two of the larger ruins and started making her way back toward the chapel. Remona shivered violently, but not from the out-of-place cold. The entire village of Neet was eerie, whether by night or day in her mind. It was a literal graveyard, and the oppressive silence was gnawing at her ears. Naturally, the second it was broken, Remona jumped in surprise. There seemed to be a child sobbing.

Remona saw a little boy, no older than five wearing tattered clothes, kneeling in the sooty earth in front of her, down the road just ten feet. At first, Remona was sure that the child had to be one of the refugees, but as her eyes strained through the dark, she knew he wasn't. This odd child was dressed differently than everyone else she had encountered so far, and she also noticed with shock that there seemed to be bloodstains on his clothing.

Remona opened her mouth to speak, but the child took the initative. "Go away! Go away! Leave me alone!" he screeched, much louder than Remona thought was necessary for a deserted street in the middle of the night.

"It's okay, I want to help you. You're hurt," Remona assured slowly.

"NO! GO AWAY! DON'T HURT ME ANYMORE! WE DON'T HAVE WHAT YOU WANT! GO AWAY! GO AWAY!" he yelled back vehemently, his small body racked with sobs.

Remona was thoroughly confused, but she tried again to soothe the child. "I don't want anything from you. I just came to get some water. My name is-"

"BLACK MONSTER!" the boy shrieked hysterically. "Help! Help! SOMEBODY HELP! HELP!" he shouted in frantic terror.

Remona's heart sank with a sickened feeling. What the devildom was going on? Someone else, someone she'd never seen before had just called her the demon again. Certain the child was mistaken, she reached for his shoulder. "I'm not the-oh my god!" she gasped in horror, barely able to make her mouth form the stunned words.

She retracted her hand immediately, finding that the child wasn't really a child or among the living. When the figure of the boy turned around, he had stomach-turning injuries mainly consisting of severe burns all across the front of his body. Pieces of his face were missing and congealed blood framed every inch of him that wasn't burned. There was no way any mortal being could still be alive with injuries like these. He wasn't alive, but yet he was still there.

Remona backed away hurriedly, fighting back rapidly growing panic. "Oh my god. . . .oh my god. . ." was all she could manage to say as the mortifying apparition continued to wail like a banshee.

"LEAVE US ALONE! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME! LEAVE! HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP!"

Remona thought she could have stomached the sight of gruesome injuries, she'd seen several nasty ones in her life, but these dwarfed them all. She finally regained enough of her motor skills to grasp her sword as several more apparitions began appearing in destroyed doorways, on street corners, and virtually all around. Every demented wraith that she looked upon had similar ghastly disfigurement; seemingly they all had died in a great fire.

Remona turned her frightened attentions back to the child just in time to see four undead knights in armor floating towards her threateningly. Upon catching sight of her in their eyeless sockets, all four knights simultaneously drew their swords.

"BLACK MONSTER! YOU SHALL NOT HAVE PRINCESS LOUVIA!" the bellowed in eerie unison.

Remona cried out in desperation. "I am NOT the Black Monster! I don't want Princess Louvia! Princess Louvia died over fifty years ago! Leave me in peace!"

The creatures didn't seem to hear her, and the lead knight was only four feet away. Remona drew her sword out of protective reflex just in time to block a powerful strike from the ghost knight. The reverberating, all too real sound of metal against metal echoed in Remona's ears and the impact vibrated down her arm, inciting the barely restrained terror within herself.

Remona attempted a counterstrike, and true to her aim, she loped off the head of the attacking ghost knight. Instead of falling over defeated or disappearing like she would have expected a real opponent to do, the ghost merely changed course and lumbered after its missing capital element. The knight reached his severed head and in an unsettling display, merely picked it up and put it back on it with a wet popping sound.

Remona bit her tongue to keep from screaming in terror.

"YOU CANNOT KILL US BLACK MONSTER. YOU CANNOT HAVE PRINCESS LOUVIA!" they droned simultaneously like a demonic chorus.

Remona's head was racing, and she didn't have the slightest idea what to do, so she did something she never had before: she ran.

Remona raced frantically through the streets, but found to her terror that everywhere she went just spawned more hellish spirits. All the while, she could hear the thunderous clanking of ghost knight armor behind herself as the undead guards marched after her. She fled left, then right, and then turned left again, but there really wasn't any refuge from the spirit masses that had emerged. One after another, all the entities reached for her as she ran by with blackened and disgusting hands causing her to make sharp turns each time in a desperate attempt to evade them.

Her exhaustion was nearly unbearable and despite the extreme adrenaline, her legs were cramping and felt as if they were about to give out. Remona knew that when they did, the spirits would all converge upon her. She frantically searched for her next move and in the edge of her vision she spotted a small building not blocked by ghosts. In fact, its absence of them put it out of place. Remona's horrified mind didn't question the gift; she raced straight into the entranceway.

Remona urgently searched the dwelling with her eyes when she entered, but somehow this space really did seem to be empty and secluded. She threw herself on the ground against the far back wall and tried to subdue her surging heartbeat and regain her breath. Listening for the sound of clanking armor, she was relieved when she found she could hear none. Maybe she had shaken her nightmarish pursuers. She breathed a sigh of relief at precisely the wrong moment; the four ghost knights materialized head-first out of the ground. This time, Remona really did scream.

The four ghost knights drew back their swords in all their terrifying glory as they surrounded Remona on all sides and backed her firmly against the wall. She had nowhere else to run. She readied her own sword shakily, realizing as they closed in that there was no escape. She prepared for the worst.

"BLACK MONSTER, OUR JUSTICE IS UPON YOU! YOU SHALL NOT HAVE OUR PRINCESS!" they thundered hauntingly.

Remona used the last of her courage for verbal defiance. "For the last time, I am not the Black Monster and I don't want Princess Louvia!" she cried hysterically, swinging her sword in an arc to keep them at bay.

"LIES! BLACK MONSTER WE WILL NOT BE FOOLED BY YOU!" the roared simultaneously, and the very left-most knight swung his sword down upon Remona's causing her to drop it.

Remona cringed, realizing that her sword was her last chance for hope and she'd just lost it. They moved in for the kill and prepared to strike as a unit. She covered her head in her hands in hysteria. This couldn't be happening! Those knights were dead, only spirits! They couldn't really kill her, could they? Why? Why did they want to? She was innocent, what did she ever do wrong? Remona felt hot tears leak down her face as she began to cry. "What had she done to deserve this? Was she insane? Was she only imagining this?

Remona's mind thundered and through the turmoil she finally found a few coherent phrases. "LEAVE ME ALONE! GO, BEGONE!" she shouted at the top of her lungs and began repeating herself hoarsely. "LEAVE ME ALONE! GO AWAY! BEGONE!"

Remona still had her eyes clenched tightly shut, but the bright blue flash didn't catch her unaware. As if it were an extension of her own troubled emotions, she felt the power surge through her and opened her eyes. The flash of sapphire color from her choker was blinding, and it engulfed everything. She couldn't even catch sight of her own body, much less the ghost knights. It was almost like she could physically feel them leave and within seconds, calm returned to the area. When the last of the blue light faded away, there was nothing but Remona and her surroundings. Her sword was lying on the ground at her feet and the cool air, now normal temperature, drifted through the holes in the ruin walls.

Remona took a few shakily breaths to regain herself, immensely grateful that the hideous monstrosities where truly gone. It appeared her dragoon spirit had driven them away. But, as her panic subsided, instead of rejoicing, Remona suddenly burst into more tears and hugged her knees into her chest. What in devildom was going on? Remona didn't know, but she knew someone who did.

"ROSE! ROSE! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME, COME HERE NOW!" she choked out loudly in fear and anger.

Apparently, Rose had already been nearby. She materialized in front of the distraught teen and Remona wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.

"You don't have to yell, I was already here. Are you alright?" Rose asked in what seemed to genuinely be concern.

Remona choked out a bitter laugh. "I see and speak to ghosts! My father sent me on a suicide mission I can't possibly survive! My own father! My home burned down, I'm poor as dirt and my grandmother may be dying! I see memories that are not mine and devildom only knows how old! Not to mention that I am supposedly a dragoon, a thing I barely understand, much less am comfortable with and fate itself toys with me! And to top it all off I think I'm going crazy! Okay? NO! I'M NOT OKAY! These are your memories! What the hell is going on?" she raved in emotional anguish.

Rose gave the distraught teen a sympathetic look, and then began evenly. "First, I can tell you with no uncertainty that you're perfectly sane. Second, you will survive your father's mission; I will see to that. And third, yes those are my memories. I was here the night Neet was attacked. I saw the devastation. Those ghosts were a manifestation of my memories," she explained, becoming vague on the last part.

"But if they were just memories, then why were they able to physically hurt me?" Remona sobbed, unconvinced.

Rose looked Remona over calmly and then moved beside her, looking out a particularly large hole in the wall into the night beyond. "They were real to you because your mind made them real. They are only memories to me, but you didn't know that and so your mind perceived them as a physical threat."

"They called me the Black Monster. Is it because of the dragoon spirit? I mean, if that was your memory, did they call you that too?" Remona asked, finally speaking the unsettling connections in her mind.

Rose nodded simply, still gazing into the night. "Yes they did," she said quietly.

Remona was too distraught to notice her ghost-mentor's sudden change in demeanor and so Rose quickly changed the subject. "Well, there's good news. The darkness dragoon spirit protected you just a moment ago and it still is now. You won't see any more of my memories while you are here. You've blocked them. Impressive for a new dragoon," Rose finished encouragingly.

Remona shook her whole body vigorously for a moment, and then let Rose's words calm her enough to finally let her return to her feet. She retrieved her sword and sheathed it, walking toward the doorway. Regaining herself emotionally, she sighed.

"You're right. That is good news. Thank the stars, because I can't handle anything like that again, especially not right now. I told Liora that we'd do dragoon training tomorrow. Are you going to help?" she asked, gaining strength in her voice again.

"Of course," Rose assured with a nod.

Remona stepped back onto the empty, cool street. Before leaving, she turned back to Rose, whom was still staring into the night. She had one more question on her mind. "Rose," she began.

"Yes?" the spirit answered directly.

"Who's Zeig? I keep having memories of him and I saw the name on the memorial earlier," Remona asked bluntly, unsure if her spirit teacher would answer or not.

Rose's form became stiff, and for a moment the former dragoon was grateful that Remona couldn't see the pained expression on her face. "He was someone close to me that used to live here. I'll tell you about him some other time."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thank you to everyone that continues to read and review, you're all awesome and I appreciate your time and support.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon. All copyrights are still in effect and are property of Sony Entertainment.

Late Night Discoveries

Due to overwhelming exhaustion, it was safe to say Liora slept well. She yawned upon waking, and stretched with a cheerful mood entering into her waking thoughts despite the harsh circumstances around herself. Her young patient Sam seemed to have practically healed overnight under her care, she looked over from her mat to see him sitting up with minimal discomfort and actually talking excitedly to some of his friends, which by her understanding hadn't happened in days. She blinked the last remnants of dust from her eyes and then physically went over to him to verify his progress. Sam's little face beamed like the midday sun when he saw her approach.

"Miss Liora!" he piped happily. "My leg doesn't hurt very bad today and I don't feel cold anymore!" he squeaked, brimming with excitement. "Do you think maybe later I can walk around with Bobby?" he pleaded energetically, returning every bit to the boyish demeanor that he should have had to begin with.

Liora chuckled softly. "Easy there, tiger. Your leg's still broken even if you aren't feeling too much pain right now. You don't want to overdo it, especially when right now your knee needs time to heal in the right place. Well, I guess that answers if you're feeling better," she said with a genuine smile. The smile slowly dissipated when a though of her mother's stern, disapproving face flashed across her mind. Liora sighed deeply. She wished her mother had been here, maybe by physically seeing the joy Liora had in helping this boy it would persuade her to change her mind.

Liora nearly jumped in surprise when she received a firm, grateful pat on the shoulder, but relaxed upon hearing Ricki's jovial tone from behind her. "What you did for Sam is amazing, Liora! You've got my thanks and I'm sure his as well. I can't believe just last night we were preparing for," he breathed, but stopped himself looking into the curious eyes of his young friends. "You said you're not a doctor?" he asked in astonishment.

Liora sighed sadly. "No, I'm not. Though I'd really like to be one day," she admitted.

"Hell, you could have fooled me! You've got to be the best healer I've ever seen and that's saying something. Our old Doctor in Furni has to use orbs and crystals to heal. You just use your hands!" he said with admiration. Ricki leaned into Liora's shoulder and cupped his hand next to his mouth. "I don't care what anyone else would tell you, you saved Sam's life last night, and that makes you every bit a doctor to me," he whispered, so as not to alarm the giddy crowd of children with just how close their friend had come to death.

Liora felt a subliminal blush creep onto her cheeks with the praise. "Well, thank you for helping Remona and me," she countered modestly. "Speaking of which, do you know where she is right now?" Liora asked politely after looking around and failing to find her traveling companion. To tell the truth, Liora had actually been very worried about her when she had come back from the well last night. For one, she'd been gone nearly an hour when the trip should have taken ten minutes or less and two, though her steely friend wouldn't admit it, something had shaken her up badly. Remona had insisted that she was fine, no fighting had happened, and that everyone was safe, but Liora knew better. Remona's eyes suggested that she might have been crying and that was the most bothersome of all to Liora, whom knew that Remona had a tough exterior and a guarded interior. For Remona to have been crying would have meant something terribly wrong for her.

Perhaps it wasn't just Liora herself; there was something sad pulling at her heartstrings when she saw Remona last night. The White-Silver dragoon spirit registered with little difficulty that Remona was in pain for some reason, and the healing power within it wanted to reach out to her almost as badly as Liora's own gentle heart. But she hadn't pressed the matter, even though she didn't believe the lie. Liora also had the distinct impression that Remona wasn't the type of person who'd easily open up about anything and asking likely would have made her even more upset. Liora knew if it was important, Remona would likely eventually tell her. Until then, she could only wait.

Ricki nodded. "Yeah, she went out to the memorial about an hour ago. She asked me to bring you there whenever you woke up," he answered. "So are you ready?" he asked politely.

"Not yet. Let me get my bow and then I will be," Liora assured with eagerness starting to build. Today was the day Remona had promised to teach Liora dragoon transformations and she was prepared. Liora grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows, and then nodded to Ricki, whom led her expertly out of the underground hideout and into the fresh sunlight of the new day beyond.

The morning was crisp and clean; the fresh air was invigorating in comparison to the dingy, moist environment in the underground chamber they'd just exited. On the way to the memorial Liora allowed her senses to revel in the ordinary comfort of morning sunshine, basking in it and drawing energy for the day ahead from it.

After walking for a few short minutes they arrived in a small clearing between two charred ruins. There was a large stone in the middle, inscribed with the names of the deceased and several small, purple and white wildflowers were growing at its base. A figure clad in mostly blue blurred by; Remona arched her sapphire-colored rapier avidly slicing air as she practiced her swordsmanship. Liora watched her repeat certain sequences of motion with a slight sense of jealously, she was extremely good. Liora also noted curiously that Remona seemed to start a few motions then stop herself and shake her head. If Liora hadn't known better, she would have thought Remona was listening to someone teach, but that was crazy, seeing as no one but them were outside. Maybe it was a pattern she'd memorized?

Remona put the finishing touches on a spinning strike and noticed them as she turned. "There you are," she said in greeting.

"That was impressive," Ricki said with a sincere smile. "Can I join you?" he requested in admiration.

Remona shook her head. "Sorry, but not right now. I promised Liora a private one on one training session, though I appreciate you showing her the way. We should be done in a couple of hours, dusk at the absolute latest, is that alright by you?" Remona apologized politely.

Ricki nodded, though you could clearly read the disappointment in his face. "I've already told the boys that both of you are allowed to come and go like you want, so that should be fine. Before I leave, I wanted to tell you that I've set things up here to hold while I take you to the passage. We can leave for Furni as soon as tomorrow morning if you guys are ready," he announced. "I've sent a message to an old friend of my family's named Sven Starford there on the inside. If you can find him alright, he'll help you out on the inside, seeing as I can't go in with you myself," Ricki informed with reluctance.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Remona said slightly dark. "I have the feeling that you'll have the chance to personally strike back at them soon enough," she added dismissively.

Ricki snorted, but then grinned. "Yeah, you're probably right. See you two later," he said simply before departing.

Liora sighed when he had gone. Remona seemed extremely pleased that they'd be leaving soon, but Liora personally wasn't so sure that leaving these people alone was such a good idea to begin with. Apart from Ricki, they were practically defenseless.

"Are you going to be ready to leave tomorrow?" Remona asked her decisively, reading the look on her face clearly.

"I'll be ready. I don't like it, but I will," Liora admitted. "I'd love nothing more than to personally escort these kids back to Deningrad, but we don't have that kind of time. I really need to get back to the cure for Queen Theresa anyway," she said remorsefully. "But," she began again, "Back to the task at hand."

Remona nodded in understanding, reading Liora's distress. "I can't promise they'll be a hundred percent safe, but believe me they have a far better chance if we leave soon and attract the attention, and that's all I'll say right now. Now then, let's talk about dragoon transformations. Tell me what you already know about them first," she began.

Liora thought hard, reaching deep into her memory for anything her mother might have mentioned about them. She was severely disappointed in herself when the only thing she could come up with was trivia.

"Mom said that dragoon transformations were extremely strenuous the first couple of times and that you have to practice to be able to hold them. That's really all I know. It's not much, I'm sorry," she said apologetically.

Remona didn't chastise her for her lack of knowledge, and for that Liora was grateful. She just shrugged. "That's honestly more than I knew at first. So we will start with this fact. Dragoon transformations are triggered mainly by three things. The first is a subconscious reaction, namely self-defense. Any time that your dragoon spirit perceives your life to be in mortal danger, you'll usually transform to protect yourself. The second way is in reaction to another dragoon's transformation, though that way is sketchy at best and doesn't always happen. Last and foremost, the change can be, and most often is, triggered by powerful emotions, and the strength of those emotions draw from your own human spirit," Remona explained knowledgably.

Liora listened carefully, absorbing every word Remona spoke. Liora truly felt stupid compared to her companion, but took hope in the fact that since Remona had only transformed once herself and already knew this much from it, she would learn quickly as well.

"Does this come from experience?" Liora blurted suddenly as a sudden wave of doubt washed over her. "The knowledge thing, I mean?" she clarified. "I'm just saying because you know so much—sorry," she added quickly with embarrassment.

Remona shrugged again. "Part yes and part no. There's information available on this stuff in the library, I just know what I read," she answered simply.

Something about what Remona said really didn't make sense; Liora had been to the library herself hundreds of times and never come across information about anything like this. Then again, she'd never worked there and had full access to every book, and she hadn't really looked either. She'd never had a reason before now.

"Sorry for the interruption. Please continue," Liora requested sincerely.

Remona nodded. "The easiest way to build up strength of spirit is in battle. The power that triggers the dragoon transformation is usually that last burst of adrenaline. So maybe I figure if we duel, and I don't mean play-fight but put some serious intent behind it—don't worry I'm not going to kill you," Remona added with a grin as an appalled look crossed onto Liora's face.

Liora cringed. She was a decent enough fighter for survival, but she was nowhere as good as Remona. Secondly, she really found it hard to really fight at all to begin with; she definitely didn't want to spar when it technically wasn't necessary. She was a gentle spirit by nature; fighting and violence seemed to go against her very heart no matter whom or what it involved.

"It would be the easiest way," Remona emphasized, reading the distaste on Liora's face.

"You're right," Liora admitted. "So I'll give it a try," she promised. She knew it was something that she needed to learn and she also knew that Remona wasn't going to seriously hurt her on purpose. It was the safest way she could possibly try, so she grabbed her bow and took a fighting stance.

Remona moved her sword to the ready. "Ready?" she asked seriously, but before Liora could answer, Remona had already sprung after her. Liora sidestepped carefully, narrowly dodging the strike. She stepped backwards and ducked after Remona refolded, with another near miss. Remona circled her sword around her head and brought it crashing down with incredible skill; this time Liora couldn't dodge so she blocked with the crystal grip on her bow, rebutting the strike.

Strike and block, swing and dodge. The duel between the two of them continued much in this manner for the better part of five minutes, with Liora slowing every second. She'd occasionally get a strike in, but for the most part the entire bout was her struggling to hold her own against Remona, who she could tell was already restraining herself a good deal. Remona threw a well-placed kick that Liora wasn't fast enough to avoid, and the blow caught her squarely in the gut. Winded from the force of the blow, she fell backwards and dropped her bow. Remona swung downward from overhead, causing the archer to roll out of the way in an attempt to retrieve it. She finally regained her weapon and saw that she had a clear opening into Remona's side, now was the chance to make her strike. She pulled back her arm to deliver a strong blow but halfway through the motion her mental blockade against violence retaliated powerfully; the strike she ended up giving was no more than a gentle poke.

"Got you," Liora panted meekly, finally surrendering to the fact that her heart just wasn't in this match.

Remona seemed to sense Liora's decisiveness on the matter. She nodded curtly, and then sheathed her rapier. She offered Liora a hand to return to her feet, which the Sacred Sister's daughter accepted graciously.

"Anything at all?" Remona asked, as she looked Liora directly in the eyes expectantly.

Liora shook her head shamefully. "No. But I was trying," she supplied embarrassedly.

Remona crossed her arms in consideration after wiping the sweat from her brow. "I didn't say you weren't. But, it's not in the fighting; it's in the associated feeling. What were you thinking about?" she asked in contemplation.

Liora shrugged. "Not really any emotion. I was trying to focus on you and your movements, not that it helped me much," Liora said regretfully as she rubbed her aching abdomen.

Remona grimaced. "Sorry about that. Well, I noticed that during our match it was mainly me on the offense. Maybe that's the problem. Let's try again, you attack me and I will defend. Maybe it's the build of aggression you need. You can give me payback for that last strike," Remona encouraged after a moment of thought.

Liora looked away. "I don't know about that," she muttered. "I've always been more of a defensive fighter," she replied in honesty.

"Well, why don't you try it? It might be the solution," Remona suggested. "Maybe because you're used to defense, you felt safe doing it and that sense of familiarity was what blocked the transformation," she speculated.

Liora sighed. "You're probably right. Okay, I'll try," she affirmed and the two of them returned to fighting stances. Liora charged forward aggressively, despite the protests in her trained mind and lashed out haphazardly with her bow.

Remona blocked the strike easily. "Come on! I know you can do much better than that," she taunted.

Liora swung out powerfully using the flat side of her bow in a two-pronged attack, first from one side and then from the other, which despite the power and speed she used, Remona blocked just as effortlessly as the first.

"Come on," Remona snorted. "That's really pathetic!" she said, rolling her sapphire eyes while countering another of Liora's strikes. "Come and get me? Or can you at all?" she said mockingly and then threw an unanticipated punch that landed solidly in Liora's right shoulder.

The punch sent a pulsating wave of pain through the area, damaging not only her body but her resolve. Liora sighed. The tactician in her knew what Remona was doing, but her friend wasn't succeeding. Liora wasn't getting angry, and if anything she was becoming discouraged. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, there was a slight spur of retaliation, but it might as well have been a snowflake in a volcano. Her entire psyche just wasn't geared to fight needlessly, she didn't have the desire to even strike back at Remona, much less injure her. She knew this was important, but she just couldn't combat the logical side of herself that knew this fight was really just for pretend.

Liora ceased fighting immediately and rubbed the throbbing part of her shoulder. She looked to Remona apologetically. "I can't. I'm sorry," she confessed.

Remona was persistent in her attempts to provoke the young archer. "So, this is the great champion of the Crystal Queen? You can't even save yourself, much less Queen Theresa and her life is on the line," she said bluntly.

Liora felt a flicker of unpleasant emotion from within. She knew Remona didn't mean what she said, but it still stirred a sense of desperation and despair. What if Remona was right? What if she did fail? In all honesty, she definitely wouldn't have chosen herself to save anyone. She really was weak, she couldn't even defeat a friend in a sparring match and she hadn't been willing to kill a thug on the street that attacked her. Some great warrior indeed.

"Is that it?" Remona growled with a true irritation in her voice this time. "Words are all it took to unhinge you? Your kingdom is about to go into chaos because without you, the Queen is going to die. Are you sure you're related to Sister Miranda? Because I hardly think she'd have just lie down and let the Queen suffer a miserable end because she was feeling sorry for herself," Remona snapped harshly.

Despite her attempts to block out the words, Remona's voice stirred an imagined image of Queen Theresa, stilled in the pale grip of death, being buried. That was her grandmother and Liora had let her die. She'd failed her, her mother, and herself. The mere thought brought her so much grief that she verbally lashed back at her traveling companion.

"DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN! YOU CAN'T MEAN IT, BUT DON'T YOU DARE!" she shouted powerfully.

Remona nodded, a grin of approval was starting to come onto her face. "There it is. Now we're making progress."

"How is this progress?" Liora snapped back irritably. "It's painful!"

"Did you not see it just now? Your dragoon spirit started flashing," Remona replied casually with a smug grin.

"Are you serious?" Liora asked miserably, and was promptly answered by the pulsating white light from her brooch. It seemed the dragoon spirit would pulse with every aching and pained thought that touched her heart. Liora rotated her shoulders back to release tension and let out a deep breath. "I wish there'd been any easier way just to get this far," she sighed. "But I was serious. Don't ever say that to me again," she demanded.

"That's progress too," Remona assured. "You're being very direct with me right now, which you never have before," she pointed out.

"I guess you're right," Liora acknowledged and let those two, small successes hearten her for a little while. However, as the day progressed those small victories became insignificant. No matter what Remona did or said, Liora's dragoon spirit didn't even sparkle. It was almost sunset before Remona seemed to admit defeat and sat down on a nearby rock.

"Well, I have confidence that it will happen when it needs to. Don't give up. Dragoon transformations are really tough, and even my own happened unintentionally anyway," Remona consoled, though Liora could tell that Remona was just as discouraged, if not more so than she was herself.

Liora put her head in her hands. "Maybe my dragoon spirit has the wrong person. Maybe I'm not a dragoon at all. You were right, I really am pathetic," she sighed miserably, glancing at the dull, pearly White-Silver dragoon spirit in her hand.

Remona shook her head adamantly. "You KNOW that I wasn't being serious when I said that, and I don't think your spirit chose wrong. They never do," she said assuredly, though with her tone of voice it sounded more like someone had just told her that herself instead of something she actually believed beforehand. "It might just need more time. There's still something we haven't tried yet. I can transform and see if that would trigger you to as well, but that will have to wait for another day. It's getting late and we're both tired," Remona suggested as her stomach gave a loud rumble, a feat that Liora's own mimicked shortly after.

Liora snorted in a mild amusement. "Well there's a chain reaction. I'm hungry too, and now that I think about it we haven't eaten all day," she apologized.

Remona grinned. "Well, time flies when you're having fun," she replied with a feeble attempt at humor. "Come on, let's go back and we'll try plan B out later," she assured affably.

Liora managed a small smile. She was grateful for Remona's belief in her, but in all reality her inability to transform was going to cause a major hitch in their plan.

"Remona, what about drawing the elves away?" Liora said suddenly, unable to get the thought off her mind. "We were supposed to lure them away as dragoons," she reminded glumly.

Remona returned to her feet. "That's once we're actually in the city, and if all goes well, we'll still have tomorrow. If it comes down to the wire, I'll execute the plan by myself. It actually might be better that way anyway, because it could give us the element of surprise if our enemies believe there is only one dragoon. Let's just take everything one step at a time and cross that hurdle when we come to it. Let's go eat and check in with the refugees," Remona offered kindly.

Liora shook her head. "You go on ahead; I'll catch up in a minute. I want to take a few minutes and enjoy the sunset. Maybe it'll make me a little less depressed," she answered.

Remona shrugged. "You want to be alone?" she continued.

"I think for just a little while," Liora answered in honesty. "I won't be more than twenty minutes or so and don't worry I know the way back," she continued.

Remona nodded. "Alright. See you later," she affirmed and left in the direction of the ruined chapel.

Liora looked up to the fading light in the sky, it was an amazing blend of orange, red, yellow, pink, and blue. A beautiful array of light and life, the sky was a stark contrast to the death-like black ash and barren landscape on the ground below. Some of the blackened ruins caused her to shiver as her gaze continued to wander from the juxtaposition of the encroaching dusky sky and the ebon ground. Liora knew that it had been over sixty years since the village of Neet had been decimated by the Black Monster, but even so many decades later, the ruins appeared as if the fire had just happened. Nothing environmentally had escaped the black blaze, but Liora knew of three people that had: Her mother's friend Dart Feld, his father, and Sister Luanna.

Liora knew Sister Luanna's story well, and knew the story of Dart and the other dragoons decently, but her mother had been very sketchy on the details of Dart's father, Zieg. Liora walked to the memorial stone and gingerly traced her fingers over the etched surface, entailing a list of the numerous deceased. She found Sister Luanna's mother, Katelyn and not to far below found the names of Zeig and Claire Feld. According to her mother, they had discovered Zeig alive in the years after the fire.

Liora removed her hand and noticed that some of the blackened ash that had been blown onto the memorial had rubbed off on her fingers. Physical contact with the inky soot sent a powerful chill down her spine. When she'd first come to Neet, she'd been inwardly aghast. It was a terrible kind of power that could do something like this, and seeing the destruction for herself had kindled a new sort of understanding for Sister Luanna whom had lived through the terror of that night. Liora hoped, as she began walking away in the fading light that she'd never have to face a nightmare like that herself.

The thought of Sister Luanna brought a painful bought of homesickness over Liora and one by one she thought of her family at the Crystal Palace until she arrived to Queen Theresa. Liora frowned when she remembered that the Queen had only been given a year at best if she maintained her current condition. And while a year was normally more than enough time to get to Serdio and back, with the way things were looking, there were going to be some potentially serious delays. It had already been a week since she and Remona had left Deningrad, and she couldn't help but worry. She quickly forced herself to think of something else, but in the moments before she did, she inwardly vowed to herself that she would die first before failing everyone that was relying on her. And if she did die, it would not be for lack of trying.

This inner promise caused a small amount of peace to resurface into Liora's heart after her long day of disappointment. As if consoled by the thought as well, her dragoon spirit gave a faint sparkle in the dim light. Liora shook her head dubiously.

"I can feel your power there, but what are you waiting for? What am I doing wrong?" she asked it quietly in frustration.

As expected, there was no answer. She was halfway to the chapel when she noticed a large fluffy cloud shaped like a pineapple. At least, that's what her mind perceived it to be. Liora snorted, suddenly even more homesick than she'd been minutes ago. When she was a lot younger, she and her mother used to lay outside on warm days in the gardens and tell each other what they thought the clouds were shaped like. The fading light also cast a seeming silver glow around each cloud, and for some reason, sunset had always reminded her of love as well.

Liora found herself vaguely wondering if she'd ever sit under a sunset in the arms of a man who loved her. She hadn't really thought about what she wanted in a man, but as she neared the outskirts of the town to the proper path to the chapel, she decided that she'd want someone selfless, kind, and loyal. Cute definitely wouldn't hurt either. Liora giggled to herself and allowed her thoughts to mentally indulge in this girlish fantasy for a while. Somehow the innocence of it and the childlike simplicity started to ease the troubles on her mind.

She'd begun to relax, when something else childlike caught her immediate attention. It was a scream. Liora thought she must have jumped a foot off the ground when she heard the harsh, unexpected noise. She hastily notched an arrow on her bow, turning in all directions to seek the source. She didn't see anyone, but the scream had sounded so close…Liora fell stiffly silent and she abruptly stopped moving as she strained to hear even the faintest signs of trouble, but none came.

She was about to dismiss the incident, or at least hurry back and tell Remona what happened, but a blur of silver motion over to the right caught her attention instead. Someone was definitely there, a notion that seemed to be reaffirmed by the White-Silver dragoon spirit, which sparked brightly with white light. Liora's hand instinctively flew to the dragoon spirit in surprise, and as her fingers made contact with the warm surface of the orb, she knew it wanted her to go into the forest with haste.

She briefly recalled her mother saying something about dragoon spirits leading their bearers to places they needed to be, and now she understood firsthand. The pull of the dragoon spirit might as well have been something physical, and it urged her strongly to hurry after the silver blur. She thought momentarily about running back to the chapel to get Remona, but the dragoon spirit was giving her the distinct impression she just didn't have enough time. Liora knew that if she was wrong, she might put herself in needless danger or even get lost, but if she was right, then there was something she was supposed to do and she needed to get to this place fast.

Keeping an arrow on her bowstring and both eyes on the areas she ran through, Liora raced into the timberline beyond Neet following her dragoon impulse. She made several acute changes in direction, and her mind noted them carefully. She was beginning to feel winded after running for several minutes and what she guessed must have been a mile or two. She received the abrupt warning to stop where she was. Obeying the ominous sense of caution, she turned through a thicket of small pine trees to her left. Liora carefully concealed herself within the brush, doing her best to remain completely motionless. After a few moments, she cautiously peered through the needles and she found herself staring at what appeared to be an old stone watchtower. The tower had two stories and only a few windows. Liora also noted only one large, wooden double-door at what appeared to be the front.

Looking around more thoroughly from her concealment, she also noticed that a small patch of bare dirt had been worn away to the right of the door. There didn't seem to be anyone around, but just the same, Liora wasn't going to take any chances. She inched closer slowly sliding behind one tree to the next to stay out of direct sight. It paid off; she slipped behind an Oak as a loud commotion burst out in the area. There were several people that appeared to be shouting from somewhere nearby and a sound that suggested it was a horse braying frantically.

The shouting voices soon took on the shape of a group of angry elves, with a few of what appeared to be winglies mixed among their number. They seemed to be arguing about something amongst themselves, and they also seemed to be trying to restrain something else still out of her line of sight with great difficulty. Liora used their distraction to slink unnoticed into a thicket of bushes for a closer view.

"Damn it! Hold her you fool!" an angry voice commanded as the ruckus continued to grow louder. "No! Not that way!" it hissed nastily.

"The rope, Tilfun!" someone shouted harshly.

"No! The OTHER rope!" yet another person demanded crisply.

"She's going to buck—WATCH OUT—the-!" was all Liora could make out before one of the elves went flying backwards smashing harshly into a proximal tree.

Through the gaps in the struggling mass of beings Liora caught a glimpse of something brilliantly white, but her vision was obscured again shortly thereafter. The shouts turned to grunts and for a moment Liora thought they'd managed to subdue whatever it was they were fighting with. She was wrong.

"The horn! Watch out for—!" an unknown person warned loudly.

"STOP HER!" an enraged voice commanded immediately after.

In a dazzling flash of shimmering white, Liora vaguely made out the shape of a horse as it streaked past her hiding place in an almost indistinguishable blur. Some of the winglies and elves had begun to cast magical spells, Liora could feel the arcane energies ignite in the air, but the horse creature was too quick for them. By the time the magic even left their hands it would be long gone. Liora had never seen anything move so fast in all her life.

A bright flash of grey light lit her surroundings along with a thunderous cracking noise. Liora looked up to find that another elf had materialized out of nowhere into the clearing. Being closer to him than the rest, Liora got a decent view of the new arrival. The elf had standard, pale skin and free-flowing long, dark hair that carried a blue tint within it. He had astonishingly long ears, seemingly longer than the rest of them she'd seen and a deep, disfiguring scar across his face that looked recent. She could also make out what appeared to be a skull-shaped wrist band on his right hand. The new elf flicked his wrist in disinterest, sending a crackling wave of pure energy smashing into the fleeing creature. The dark magic hit the horse head on and knocked it off its feet in a crumpled heap to the ground.

Momentarily stilled, Liora got a clear look at what the creature really was. It wasn't an ordinary horse at all, it was a unicorn. Its whole body was gleaming iridescent white, and so brilliant that the purest snow couldn't compare. The stark contrast to the dimness of the area was actually hurting Liora's eyes. The unicorn also had shimmering golden hooves and a long, spiraling horn in the center of its head. Far from an ordinary equine, the unicorn's mane and tail were incredibly long and billowing and displayed a rich, royal purple color with glossy, smooth texture that would easily dwarf any silk in the world. Everything about the creature shined like the sun in flickering waves of light, and in addition to being the fastest thing Liora had ever laid eyes upon, it was also the most beautiful. But the beauty was nothing compared to the gracefulness of it, even now as the unicorn struggled to return to its feet, the movements were nothing short of awe-inspiring.

A pained, but defiant whine from it brought Liora out of her transfixed daze and she noted with an ache in her heart that the gorgeous unicorn was bleeding deeply from several severe slashes in its body. The crimson stains were an ugly, unsettling sight as they painted the ground and tainted the unicorn's immaculate fur. The unicorn tried repeatedly to rise, struggling and falling each time. It was heartbreakingly obvious that its front legs had been shattered to disability and it was in terrible anguish. The act of cruelty stirred a sense of powerful anger in Liora; such an innocent, beautiful creature shouldn't have to suffer like this.

Without warning, thick black ropes materialized from nowhere seen and ensnared the unicorn around the head and neck. The demonic ropes continued to wrap around the rest of the unicorn's body and entangle its limbs before connecting to a steel stake in the ground at the elf's feet.

As if the evil looking rope were actually alive, it began to snake and constrict against the unicorn's already injured body the harder it worked to free itself. The unicorn struggled violently against the black restraints, but only succeeded in pinning itself more effectively in the ebon confines of the rope. Liora held her breath as black spines began appearing along the length of the rope and stabbing into the creature's skin. A particularly long barb prodded into the unicorn's neck and with the way it was still fighting to be free, Liora thought it might actually strangle itself.

The new-comer elf responsible gave a nasty laugh as he approached the injured unicorn. Sensing his approach, the unicorn ceased in its retaliation attempts. The magnificent creature turned its tied head to look at him as best it was able and gave him a clearly defiant glare. A seeming silver fire burned over its outer eyelids, a physical manifestation of its contempt of him.

"Oh yes, such hatred in your eyes," the elf mocked, "but despite your ill-will I think we've come to an understanding. Not going anywhere in a hurry now, are you?" he laughed cruelly, evoking another flash of silvery light from the unicorn's eyes.

Liora had the distinct impression that the unicorn could not only read this elf's tone but actually understand the language he used as well. She vaguely remembered reading somewhere in a book of legends that unicorns were supposed to have near, if not equal to human intelligence.

The elf continued to gaze the sparkling creature over ruthlessly, then laughed sarcastically to the gathered group that had been previously trying to restrain it.

"That, gentlemen, is how you deal with a unicorn. You break their legs, you'll break their spirit, and then they will submit to your will—much like everything else. And don't feed or water her until I say so either. She'll quickly learn that I am the key to what she needs, and then she'll truly do whatever is commanded," he said darkly. The new elf snorted as the unicorn's nostrils flared in fury. "A fine gift, though honestly I'm amazed that you winglies managed to get her this far. But, that's beside the point. Where's that brat you caught, Lieutenant?" he added with a sinister tone.

Liora heard the muffled sounds of subdued crying, and then a bone-rattling scream like she had heard previously back in the village of Neet. Two more dark elves entered onto the scene squeezing the arms of a small girl with red hair maliciously while carrying her between them. The girl had pulled her knees into herself and was refusing to walk, screaming and flailing profusely.

"Shut that maggot up!" one of the elves snarled irritably and the other gave the child a brutal slap across the face.

Liora felt another cry of outrage from within, this made two innocent beings suffering torture right in front of her eyes.

"You heard him! Unless you want to lose your tongue human blight, you'll cooperate. And if you don't want to lose your legs, you'll walk on your own!" the elf on the right barked threateningly.

The girl gave a small squeak before she was thrown roughly onto the ground, struggling to fight back tears of sheer terror.

The elf that had roped the unicorn levitated into the air and glided to the child so that he towered above her. "Now, what have we here, Bolfen?" he asked crisply, a strong hatred crossing onto his own scarred face.

The elf called Bolfen gave a respectful bow before addressing the new elf. "General Ziran, as I'm sure you're well aware, there have been a number of human children that have attempted to escape the forest and we are currently compiling a complete list of names—" he began briefly.

"Get on with it, Lieutenant! I didn't come all the way out here to listen to a status debrief!" the elf general snapped harshly.

"Sorry, General—and as you know Captain Risveth went missing with the rest of his patrol the other day—" Bolfen continued quickly.

"I'm aware," General Ziran hissed. "Hurry up. The point, Bolfen?" he spat.

Liora sighed inwardly. Where had she heard that name before?

"Well, we have already dealt with the Deningrad knighthood that was sent against us, so they couldn't have. . . The point, General, is that we found Captain Risveth and his squad yesterday. Sir, they were all . . . dead," he said quietly with a fearful emphasis on the last word.

General Ziran crossed his pale arms nonchalantly; unimpressed it seemed with the news. "Dead, you say? How did you find the bodies, and where?" he asked in a slow, dangerous drawl.

"Well sir, it looked like a few of them had been killed in melee combat, they had slash marks suggesting human metallic weaponry. Telthar and Skirin looked as if they had been literally crushed flat by something, and the rest had these arrows," the elf Lieutenant relayed as he pulled one of Liora's crystal arrowheads from a pouch at his waist.

The elf General took the crystalline fragment from him and examined it for himself in the following moments. The look on his disfigured face was unreadable for a moment. "This arrow belongs to a knight of Deningrad—imperial if I'm not mistaken. The fact that this is crystal means that this must have been one of their pathetic 'elite'. And you say you're sure you wiped out the whole company, Bolfen?" he asked again, a direct tone in his voice.

The elf Lieutenant lowered his eyes, and then shrugged. "We know that we eliminated that entire company, sir. No doubt, but there might have been another patrol we were unaware of," he suggested submissively.

General Ziran growled loudly, apparently the thought of striking his underling had strongly crossed his mind, because his hands twitched dangerously. "This is OUR forest, Bolfen! We know what comes and goes! Especially since Lord Nvernias' eyes are everywhere and with the way those knights behave, we'd have heard them coming from across the world! No, another company is out of the question. Now, the collection of those escaped Furni slime on the other hand might have a clue _who is _responsible— and I say that because there is no way a human fungus-sprout could have done this. Which brings us to you," General Ziran said icily, glaring intently at the small captive.

"My subordinates tell me that they caught you running rampant like a disease in the outer wood. So tell me, human leech, and I'm only going to ask you once—who killed my patrol and where is the hideout of your filthy little friends?" he demanded ardently.

The little girl could only look up at him in terror and she was shaking where she was. She opened her mouth to reply hesitantly, but swiftly closed it when he continued to stare her down like a lion on a defenseless deer.

"Think carefully, human roach," Ziran said coldly. "I wouldn't bother lying to me, I know none of you have escaped the borders of the forest, so you're hiding somewhere in it. Tell me where the others are hiding and I will consider sparing your puny existence," he threatened in a baleful, even voice.

The little girl sat idly on the ground, trembling and too afraid to move. A moment passed in silence and General Ziran appeared to be losing what little patience he had.

"I SAID SPEAK!" he thundered furiously, sending a menacing echo through the trees and causing tears of fear to resurface in the child.

The little girl shivered and then stammered. "I…I..please don't…" she squeaked meekly.

General Ziran planted his feet firmly on the ground and knelt down awkwardly, seeing as he was naturally tall, to place his scarred face dangerously close to the little girl's own.

Seeing this display, one of the winglies that was accompanying the elves snickered.

"What was that?" Ziran snapped, hearing the noise and turning sharply to the source.

"I'd watch yourself, General. Bardel told us what happened the last time you got that close to a human," the wingly answered bluntly in an unchecked tone of mockery as he eyed the elf general's scar. It was apparent to Liora that the wingly didn't really respect the elf General in the slightest, and it was a sentiment that the rest seemed to share.

In a flash of heat and light, a fireball appeared in General Ziran's hand and he launched it like a flaming arrow at the wingly that had just insulted him. In a blaze of fire, the projectile found its mark in the wingly's heart and he exploded into a mix of smoky vapor and ash. The charred remains fell heavily to the ground, smoldering. This sudden display of savagery triggered a very real sense of shock in both the winglies and elves gathered around the spot. Several of the winglies snarled in anger, but did little else after getting over their sense of surprise. There seemed to be far more elves around and they clearly knew they were outnumbered. From a tactical standpoint, it would be a poor choice for them to pick a fight now, especially with the foreboding way General Ziran's enraged gaze settled fiercely on each of them. The whole situation was odd to Liora; didn't elves and winglies naturally hate each other anyway? Why where they out here together to begin with and especially when it seemed they had also been at least tentatively working together a moment before. What exactly was going on?

"Anyone else want to make a comment? I assure you, I'll do so much more than that to the next wise ass that makes another sound!" General Ziran shouted vehemently. "Now," he began again harshly turning back to the mortified child whom had just witnessed the killing, "unless you want to die like him, you WILL tell me where the devildom you filthy, disgusting, insignificant vermin are hiding!" he hissed with an exaggerated slowness, annunciating each word.

The little girl's trails of tears had transformed into pure sobs. "I don't…I don't know!" she screeched in fright.

General Ziran wasn't pleased with the answer and savagely kicked the girl hard in the face. There was a sickening crack and the child howled in pain. The tethered unicorn brayed and whined loudly in protest once it heard the child's anguished outcry and began to struggle determinedly and lash out at Ziran with her back legs.

Liora had decided she'd seen just about enough and could clearly feel the true rage that was rapidly gripping her body. The rage was mixed with an empathetic throb of her own heart when the little girl moved her blood-covered hands to reveal a clearly broken nose and a bleeding split lip. Her dragoon spirit started to send courses of energy down her entire frame as it too bristled in outrage. She closed her eyes momentarily to calm herself. She couldn't give herself away now, her logical mind knew that she was far outnumbered and outgunned, but with the rising tide of her emotional self, it was extremely difficult.

"How dare you lie to me, human maggot! Of course, I should have expected this right from the start. Humans are creatures of grime, even the small ones. Since you won't tell me willingly, I'll just have to dirty my superior hands and rip it from your gross, inferior little mind. It's a painful process, believe me. You're about to wish you'd have told me on your own and died quickly. You're making me taint my perfection with your human filth and for that you're going to suffer greatly and I will enjoy this tremendously," he assured sinisterly as he stepped back, drawing a sickly dark energy into his pale hands. Fortunately, as he stepped back from the child to prepare his dark arcane, he put himself directly into the unicorn's reach.

The unicorn bucked out fiercely with its back legs and caught the elf general in the middle of the back with her golden hooves. He soared ungracefully face-first into a nearby tree that actually splintered around the area of impact.

Liora grinned heartily. That elf deserved far worse, but at least now he knew what it felt like to be hit in the face. This trivial act of retaliation didn't impact the General as much as Liora would have hoped. In fact, he returned to his feet in a matter of seconds, not even fazed and angrier than ever. Ignoring the hysterical child on the ground, General Ziran stormed past her to stand just out of reach of the wriggling unicorn's flailing limbs. He withdrew a jagged dagger from his belt, seething with rage.

"You have done your last," he hissed with feral anger. "You are more trouble than you're worth, magic or no. I think I'll mount your head on my wall next to that Furni bastard and his wolf-pet's when I catch them," he growled nastily and poised the dagger to deliver a mortal blow.

Liora knew she had to do something fast, but she still hadn't formulated a plan that would help her deal with the excess of fifteen winglies and elves in her immediate area. If only she'd learned how to transform, then she'd be able to help. She cursed herself inwardly, knowing she was swiftly running out of time to act. Luckily, she was temporarily reprieved as another voice sounded into the situation.

"Temper, temper General. You've had that unicorn all of ten minutes. I'd have thought you'd appreciate her, given that her kind is nearly extinct. They're a lot like dragons really. Strong-willed, fast, and every bit a pain in the ass," said a newly arrived wingly. This newcomer had silver hair with a strong lavender tint, which stood nearly straight up in a cone-shape.

"You're late, Bardel," General Ziran snapped irritably, but he lowered his weapon and diverted his attentions entirely to the newcomer.

"What's wrong General, that unicorn proving too much for you?" Bardel continued humorously.

Ziran scowled harshly. "Hardly. I'll deal with her later," he answered briskly. "It's not like she's going anywhere," he added sourly.

Bardel grinned in amusement, but the grin soon faded into a similar scowl when he laid eyes upon the sobbing human girl. "I didn't know you kept humans as pets, Ziran, otherwise I would have sent you a bunch more," Bardel stated with clear distain.

Ziran's scarred nose wrinkled in clear disgust, and the gesture momentarily obscured the pale bridge of skin beneath the scarlet tissue of the scar, giving him a demonic appearance. "Not at all," he said eyeing the wingly with loathing. "Their sight alone is enough to turn my stomach, much less the smell. This, I feel, is something, maybe the first thing, that we can agree on. This piece of filth has information I need regarding a nest of stray roaches. I was just about to forcibly remove her memories. Care to watch?" General Ziran asked with relish as he eyed the injured child.

The wingly named Bardel gave the child a sinister smile before his lips tightened into a thin line. "As much as I would enjoy that, I'm afraid I've got some urgent news that needs to be taken care of first," he replied in a darkly sincere disappointment.

Ziran's dark eyes flickered over the child for a moment, then to the wingly named Bardel. He nodded to the wingly, and then turned to bark orders to his underlings. "Bolfen, take the little fungus around to the back and hold her there until I'm done with this meeting. Leave the beast where it is," he said glaring at the wounded unicorn maliciously, "and the rest of you go back to your patrols," he commanded dismissively and disappeared through the front doors of the tower in the company of Bardel.

The elf, Bolfen, grabbed the little girl and disappeared out of sight around the left side of the tower. Liora wanted to move after him immediately, but was hindered several minutes as the remnants of elf and wingly underlings lingered in the area before clearing out completely.

Once they were all gone and the area had returned to silent, Liora began cautiously making her way in the direction Bolfen had taken the child. She was nearing the unicorn's place of confinement and she could easily hear its labored breathing.

She looked over her shoulder to get a better view of the creature as she crept by and had to catch her breath. Even in its current condition, the unicorn was still stunningly beautiful. Liora didn't realize that she had become so entranced by its glimmering being that she stopped to stare. The creature, maimed though it was, was still an exquisite sight to behold up close and even more so was the powerful embodiment of light coming from its injured frame in waves.

Liora almost tripped, startled, when the unicorn turned its bound head as best it was able to stare directly into her hiding place with deep, lustrous eyes. She was sure she hadn't made a sound and yet, somehow it still seemed to know she was there. As if locked inescapably by gravity itself, Liora found her own gaze drawn into the unicorn's surreal one. A powerful sensation swept over Liora while she and the magnificent creature held each other in their stares. It was a feeling of purity and peace, but also of strength. And while it was strong, it was still very tender. It was the power of light. This shared presence sparked in Liora a form of kinship; her White-Silver dragoon spirit began pulsing with a subtle pearly glow, as if reaching out to intertwine with the light coming off of the unicorn's own body.

Oddly enough, the unicorn was also showing signs that it too felt this odd connection. It didn't seem to be in as much pain, even though the black barbs where still present, and even attempted to roll onto its stomach and right itself against its restraints for a better look. The unicorn brayed softly, seemingly the same gesture a human would convey in a whisper, as if calling her over.

Liora couldn't help but answer. Carefully and quietly Liora removed herself from her arboreal concealment and made her way to the unicorn's side. It tossed its head slightly and let out a couple of restless brays as she inched closer.

"Shh, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help," she assured gently, pleading with her tone for the unicorn not to become loud. From her readings Liora knew that elves had excellent hearing and if she was caught, there would be devildom to pay.

The sound of her reassurances soothed the unicorn and she was able to close the rest of the distance between them without another sound. The extent of General Ziran's brutality was even worse when viewed at close-range. The unicorn's gashes appeared to be much deeper than she originally thought and were not so clean. Blood caked its fur and mane, giving it the appearance of a demented paint horse. The creature's front legs were bent at unnatural angles, almost backwards, and the demonic black rope had caused several deep and serious puncture wounds in addition to heavily restricting its breath intake.

Liora stretched out her hand hesitantly to touch the unicorn, but then pulled it back. She wasn't sure if her touch would do more harm than good in its current condition, and it would definitely cause the beautiful being more pain.

The healer in her began analyzing the creature's wounds. She didn't care for the situation at all; she had no herbs or potions and definitely couldn't reset the creature's legs in this setting. The anguished noise that was likely to be involved on the unicorn's part made it much too risky. Liora sighed inwardly. One immediate course of action that she could take would be to try and loosen or untie the magical rope. No matter what way you put it, it was wrong to tie a unicorn.

Liora watched the writhing raven rope carefully, seeing if she could find any sort of distinguishable pattern in the weave or magical aura. She wasn't entirely sure how to go about freeing the unicorn; she definitely didn't want to become entangled in the rope as well, a feat that she was sure would happen if she touched it without somehow deactivating it first.

As if her dragoon spirit understood her very thoughts, it glimmered brightly around her neck for a split second, sending a wave of impulse down Liora's entire body. The dragoon spirit was prompting her to be used, so Liora curiously obeyed. She removed the shimmering orb carefully from the brooch and followed its guidance, lowering it toward the unicorn's injured body. Radiating tendrils of pearly white light washed over the surface of the creature, interlocking with and diffusing the dark, black rope. Within moments, the entirety of the demonic bindings dissipated into nothing, and the unicorn was now free.

The gleaming white unicorn eyed Liora with renewed interest from the ground, and its startling gaze settled on her pulsing dragoon spirit expectantly. Liora grimaced when she realized she still didn't know how to heal the creature, and that might have been what it was now expecting. She'd been hoping her dragoon spirit would somehow intervene, but the orb's lustrous light dimmed away in her hand uselessly.

"Please," she whispered to the obstinate, glassy orb after a moment. "Please come back, I need you to do more than this. We don't have much time," she protested silently, eyeing the low-hanging silver moon that was starting to beam into the night sky. Judging by this, Liora knew she must have been gone for at least two hours now, it was solidly night time and she had no doubt that Remona must have been sincerely concerned about her. She could feel it even now, even though the orb she held in her hand was dormant. The ebon, cold call of the darkness dragoon spirit was echoing through her own dragoon spirit like a faded whisper in a canyon. Remona must have already sensed that something was wrong and might even be on her way there. Liora knew Remona was a cautious person by nature and a more than capable fighter, but she definitely didn't want her to walk in on these people's meeting and spring a trap Liora wasn't sure they could get out of, even as dragoons.

Liora was never one for vulgarity, but when her white-silver dragoon spirit still ignored her pleas for action, she almost cursed. She looked reluctantly to the unicorn, unsure of what she should say or do now. She'd freed her, for all the good that did. The poor creature couldn't even walk anymore.

"I—" Liora began to it in an apologetic whisper.

She let her sentence hang; as she spoke, the unicorn struggled painfully onto its stomach and turned its liberated head to face the moon. Liora blinked when she realized that a subtle light was beginning to pool around the unicorn, seemingly drawn in from the very rays of moonlight that lit their area. The pool of light began to wash over the creature and ripple into her glimmering, golden horn, causing it to pulse and glow. Liora realized, as she watched the distribution of rays over the unicorn's injured frame, that the light was being absorbed into its skin channeled through the horn. Miraculously, the unicorn's wounds began healing in flashes of golden beams, all of the creature's own doing.

The young archer watched, entranced as even the most grievous of its wounds crusted up and then disappeared and held her breath in marvel as the unicorn's knees snapped back into perfect alignment, completing what would have been years' worth of intense healing in seconds. The unicorn only seemed to maintain a few minor bruises, but it didn't seem to be bothered by them in the slightest. It returned to its feet in one graceful motion, giving a vigorous shake that tossed its gleaming mane around in a sparkling display of radiance.

An indignant ruffle passed along the unicorn's spine through her immaculate fur, as she shook free of any lingering magical or physical residue, before turning to Liora expectantly once more.

Liora sighed. "What you did was very brave. I admire you courage. I wish I could be more like you. You can go now—fly free like you were meant to," Liora encouraged softly in a barely audible voice. She didn't have time to dwell on this experience; Liora knew the captive child was in desperate need of help. She moved quickly to the side of the tower to find a way to rescue her.

The emancipated unicorn merely lingered in the same spot for a moment after Liora had gone, gazing in her direction before it walked calmly back into the forest.

Liora had no trouble finding the prisoner child; all she had to do was follow the noise. She cautiously slid up to a corner and peered around. There were still two elves standing guard over the little girl, whom was still crying in a terrible mix of fear and agony. The child's whole body was wracked with terrified tremors and Liora didn't think she'd be conscious much longer with the stress she was under. Liora silently lined her bow with two crystal-headed arrows and took aim. As repulsive as she found the idea of killing anyone on purpose, she knew there was no other way. If she could make it quick and clean, she might could take them both out, grab the child and be gone before any of them could be the wiser. Well, she thought grimly to herself, they technically did deserve to die and more for what these elves had done. She quietly pulled back her drawstring and prepared to fire.

Her fingers twitched in anticipation on her bowstring as she was about to shoot, but she was abruptly halted by the sound of footsteps, signaling the arrival of more people. Liora pulled back behind the corner completely, lowering her bow to avoid being seen. Two more elves came out of a large door and signaled the two already present to bring the child inside the tower. Liora scowled wordlessly. She'd missed her opportunity. Now, in order to save the girl, she'd have to actually go inside the building.

She swiftly analyzed the situation and came up with two possibilities. She could try and retrace the elves' exact route and slip through the doors unseen, or she could climb a nearby pine tree and enter through an exposed third-story window the branch was overhanging. Liora sighed; neither looked promising since she didn't know where the window went and the front door was likely to be brimming over with guards and bystanders.

Liora felt a pang in heart as her mind turned to what her mother would have done in this situation. Part of the young archer said that her mother would be brave and bold, showing no fear, that Sister Miranda would just walk boldly through the front door like she belonged and deal with anyone who got in the way. Liora felt a small smile cross her lips. Heck, in that case, her mother would probably _break down_ the entire door, especially if she'd just witnessed the cruelty Liora had. Liora had never seen her mother intimidated by anyone. On the opposite side, she'd never met another tactician as capable as her mother. Her mother had often reminded Liora that in battle no one was truly invincible and had stressed the importance of being smart when you where badly outnumbered. Because of this, she could also see her mother going through the window, trusting in her skills and brains to handle anything that might arise.

Neither of these alternatives truly appealed to Liora. She didn't like the element of ambiguity both possessed. However, she logically assumed that there would be fewer enemies immediately present around a towering window than around the door to an entrance hall. She was supposed to be using stealth. The less she would have to fight and kill the more successful she would be. Encouraged by a dim glow from her dragoon spirit, Liora began to climb the pine tree.

After a few moments she was level with the window sill. She grabbed an upper branch for support and gracefully stepped across. Once her feet were solidly upon the stone, Liora readied her bow and stepped through the thick curtains into the dark room beyond. She instantly scanned the still room for enemies, and to her relief, there were none. The room she found herself in was actually very plain, once her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting. There were four, bare stone walls, a wooden table in the center with three chairs and two oak-wood doors.

Liora snuck across the room soundlessly and opened the door to her left first, carefully looking through the crack into the long corridor beyond. There were two more doors at the end of the hallway, and two elf guards that looked incredibly bored standing between them. Liora was meticulous not to make any noise as she closed the first door and made her way to the second, on the right. The next door led to a smaller, torch-lined hallway with only one door and no guards in sight. Liora chose to head down this hallway, making a mental map of her path.

She made it to the next door down the hall with no difficulty or interruptions, and as she arrived Liora paused to listen to see if there was anything beyond the door she could make out. Hearing nothing, she discreetly opened the door.

This room was much larger, and more decorated. Its stone walls were adorned with dark-colored tapestries and braziers, and its floor was carpeted in a thick, velvety black rug. There were richly carved wooden tables and chairs scattered throughout, though in an orderly fashion and a few towering cases of bookshelves containing scrolls, books, and miscellaneous magical-looking artifacts. A large and open fireplace was crackling in the back of the room as Liora quietly walked in to have a better look around, closing the door behind her.

Closest to one of the bookshelves on the right, Liora checked it first. Everything appeared to be written in Elvish. Liora held a brief study of the language and so she was able to pick out a few words, but nothing she was able to read gave her any clue to what the books were about. After examining the scrolls and books, Liora noticed a large map sprawled out across one of the tables in the center of the room. Walking over, she immediately noticed the map possessed a magical quality, it was three dimensional. She squinted through the array of multicolored layers and recognized that the map covered all of Endiness. There were glowing, ruby red dots all over the map, and most appeared to be over the locations of major cities. Liora also noticed that some locations seemed to have large, black crosses over them. Looking around their immediate coordinates on the map, she found Furni was one of them. In addition to the black X, Furni was also surrounded by many pinpricks of blue light. These blue pins were vastly present in large quantities in numerous other places across the entire map as well. Although she was stunned at the magnitude of what she saw, Liora didn't need to be told what she was looking at. It was a battle map.

From what she could decipher, the red dots represented targets and to her horror, Deningrad was one. The black crosses represented conquered territory and the blue dots must have been troops. This discovery was alarming to her to say the least. Someone had to go to Deningrad and tell her mother and the knights immediately. More than likely, that someone would have to be her, seeing as she guessed she was the only human to have viewed this battle map and her mother would need details. She sighed. She needed to go back, and she hadn't even gotten off the continent.

It wasn't long before Liora heard more loud voices headed her way beyond the door. She quickly squeezed behind a bookcase as the door opened and several people poured into the room. Three were elf guards, two were wingly knights, one was General Ziran, another was the wingly named Bardel, and last was the little girl carried between two more elves.

Ziran sighed and turned to Bardel. "Now then, as you can see, we're rallying for an offensive against the Crystal City, Deningrad," he explained, gesturing to the map on the table with his pale hand. "I don't expect they'll offer up much of a resistance with the quality of what they've sent us so far. Those fools kept sending more and more knights into the forest until about a week ago. Their stupidity is actually making things easier for us. We've eliminated all of them easily, leaving the city with fewer human roaches each time," he furthered maliciously.

"Too bad they stopped sending pigs to the slaughter," Bardel remarked causally, scanning the battle map for himself.

"Intelligence says that the human rat, the one they gave the rank of First Sacred Sister intervened in their deployment out here. But that's nothing, seeing as intelligence also is confident the human worms still have no clue what's going on. They really are dumber than rocks, humans," Ziran snorted bitterly. "Now, there's really only one thing standing in the way of our success. Granted Deningrad is a human city, and humans are well, weak, at best, but the fact of the matter is that with sheer numbers and the technology the human worms in the city have access to, if they know we're coming they might mount a resistance that will hinder progress. Make no mistake; we'll crush them like ants either way; however things would be less of a pain in the ass and certain essential assets won't be damaged if this assault is a complete surprise," he began suggestively.

Bardel nodded, seeming to follow in Ziran's line of thought. "Yes, you're right. Losing that would be quite damaging. And with a total element of surprise the strongest adversary they could throw against us would be the white-silver dragoon. And even that human bitch alone would be powerless against all of us together. You're right about the danger the humans still pose to the master plan though… the dragoon would be the worst. Knowing her, she'd likely know immediately what the attack is centered around or worse yet," he hissed in displeasure, "call the rest of her little friends to her aid. And there's still only one way we can deal with all of them at once…." Bardel trailed off.

Ziran scowled, but nodded curtly. "Yes, but it's not yet prepared. Anyway, now you understand my predicament. Those Furni brats are jeopardizing everything. If just one of them makes it through the forest we'll need a whole new battle plan, not to mention the more dire complications…. The dragoons could still mess everything up beyond repair. I must say however, that your energy field was a brilliant idea. It's a pity it had so many loopholes," Ziran added in frustration and sarcasm.

Bardel snorted indignantly. "It's ancient technology and something that's been in the Ancestor's vault for millennia. Something that old is bound to have its kinks. How was I supposed to know that the energy-field is susceptible to limited quantities of time energy? For those of you those of you that don't know," Bardel announced grandly to the room at large giving him blank stares, "it takes a certain amount of time energy for the field to react and fully repel, or in this case, confine life forms. You all call it age. I just followed instructions, so you can't blame me _entirely_," Bardel huffed rudely. "Besides, it's not that bad. Only humans seemingly under the age of insignificant twelve can escape the barrier and what good are they? They can't make it to Deningrad on their own, much less with as many scouts as we have everywhere," he finished dismissively.

Ziran scowled. "One would certainly think so. But somehow more of them are getting closer to managing it, probably because they're being helped. A few older humans, adolescents, have apparently escaped your barrier as well due to an anomaly in their energy patterns. While I've little confidence that fungus-sprouts can accomplish anything, these half-grown blights are significantly more worrisome. But we'll come back to that in a moment. If there is a bright side to the dragoon issue, now that you've dealt with the Zanum family, the only immediate dragoon is the Sacred Sister. None of the others are even on this continent so it would take some time for them to arrive here, and by then they'll be too late."

Bardel frowned deeply; causing Ziran's scowl to become a fully enraged snarl as he registered the meaning of the wingly's body language.

"You DID get rid of them, didn't you?" the elf general growled dangerously.

Bardel shook his head. "About that—the Zanums have skipped town. No one seems to know where they went—I even took the liberty of squeezing information out of those disgusting humans that live in our forest that they entrusted their house to. Not even they know. Well, I suppose I know why they slipped—I should have expected it after—never mind," he mumbled in excuse.

Ziran wasn't placated with this in the slightest. "Skipped town? And why, pray tell, would they just suddenly up and leave, unless they perceived themselves to be in danger?" he asked darkly. "What did they hear, Bardel?" Ziran suggested with a deadly malice in his voice.

"You're good," Bardel muttered, before he hastily embarked into a story about a girl named Shae and how she had found him talking with someone named Kyrn. He explained briefly about a confrontation he had with her, her two sisters, and their mother, the dragoon Meru. Liora inwardly gasped in recognition. Meru was one of her mother's closest friends, and Liora herself had seen her several times when she was younger.

Ziran cursed a mouthful of nasty words when Bardel was finished ."DAMN IT! ZERIN ITH NIRAK!" he seethed in a mixture of common and elvish. "YOU will be the one who gets to report this disaster to Lord Nvernias! You imbecile! This could ruin everything! And this couldn't have come at a worse time! I already have more than enough problems!" he raged as his black magic started to flare dangerously around his body in fury. Watching this new, empowered display, everyone else present in the room fell tensely silent and watched with unease.

Liora was utterly amazed that these two were in league; the alliance that held them together was as shaky as a canoe in a maelstrom at best. As they continued to argue, Bardel was the first to speak out in the common language again.

"You think you have problems? What can happen to you is nothing compared to what can happen to me if the Ancestor finds out-"

"—consider yourself lucky then, Dashen, if that's all you face. Lord Nvernias…. I shudder to think what his punishment would be if I should fail—I should think I'd rather die and spend all eternity in the devildom—" Ziran countered and for a moment, Liora saw what was unmistakably fear behind the General's eyes.

General Ziran was bad enough; Liora didn't want to envision someone he was afraid of. At seemingly the very thought of this person, Ziran's rage died away, and so did his aura. His change of attitude also shifted his focus. He sighed venomously and glared at Bardel balefully, though he put the issue aside.

"Very well. Another grievance for a long list. One that I will hold _you_ responsible for solving, Dashen. And make sure you do. Lord Nvernias won't be as forgiving or patient as me. I already have to find that Furni bastard and his mutt in addition to the posse of insects that escaped the city. And now that horrid human Marleus—Gods, I don't know how Lord Nvernias can look at him without killing him—has a problem as well. Apparently he's being tailed by a company of warriors from Rogue and if they find out what he's up to or where his hideout is, that will cause another avalanche of headaches. Never trust a human. For anything," Ziran growled, rubbing his nose gingerly along the scar.

Bardel scowled with the news. "Damn humans. I can't wait to be rid of them. They are without a doubt the lowest, filthiest-" his racist tirade was cut short by another voice.

"Your opinion comes based solely off of incompetence. Come now, we're not all that pathetic," came a taunting female voice from the room's overhead rafters. "Why, General Ziran, I was told you are his Lordship's greatest tracker, and yet you allow a bunch of children to escape you, and myself to creep up on you, overhearing everything you said without detection. And here we are, just mere humans," the new woman reprimanded mockingly.

Looking discreetly towards the source of the noise, Liora was shocked to find a slender woman, dressed completely from head to toe in black with a long, silver pole on her back. The woman also appeared to be armed with a pair of exotic weapons that had the appearance of hand-held, three-pronged tridents, with the middle prong being the largest. These weapons were tucked amidst the midnight satin of a long, black sash at her waist.

Liora felt herself begin to panic. She hadn't seen this woman come in, or even heard her up until now. What if this woman was already in the room when Liora came in? She would know exactly where she was hiding. She held her breath eagerly, unable to do anything else for the moment.

Ziran, Bardel, and everyone else for that matter, all looked equally surprised. Ziran drew a jagged dagger from his belt and Bardel conjured a fireball in his hand while all the various guards in the room, armed as well, stepped in front of their respective leaders.

The new shift of personnel left the little girl, Liora's original intent, guarded by only one elf. However there was still no plausible way that the young dragoon could reach her without being seen, so she stayed hidden and continued watching the scene unfold in front of her. This new woman still hadn't given any signs that she'd noticed Liora.

Oddly this new woman didn't seem to be alarmed in the slightest by the fact that a room-full of people were drawing weapons against her. Nor did she draw hers. She just continued to laugh in amusement.

"Idiots," she taunted, directed at the nameless guards, "If I'd have wanted to kill them, they'd be dead by now. I can't believe you lot are supposed to be powerful. You couldn't even detect me coming in here from an open window! I even made sure to make noise as I was climbing up here," she chided.

"Yeah, the sounds of silence," Bardel growled with animosity.

Liora had to admit, she agreed with Bardel. In her heightened state of alert she had heard many minor noises that the others missed, but she too had failed to spot this woman completely.

Ziran was the first to recover from his state of surprise. "Not bad…for an insect. Who are you, and what are you doing in here?" he spat irritably.

The woman nimbly jumped down from the rafters, performing a series of twists and flips before landing with agility on the ground. This woman had next to flawless balance…

"My name is Aiumi ShadowSlayer. I'm a practitioner of the art of Naranjunga. I was sent by Lord Nvernias, our esteemed client, in response to a problem you're having with the warriors from Rogue," she stated plainly and tossed an embossed piece of cloth, a banner of some sort, to Ziran and uttered a phrase in elvish.

Ziran caught the object with resentment, clearly displeased that a human had even brushed with the same object he was being forced to touch. He raised a navy-colored eyebrow and scrutinized every inch of the banner harshly, observed closely by Bardel. A nasty scowl plastered all over his face, but General Ziran nodded to the woman with displeasure.

"An assassin, is it? That explains the nerve. . . Be that as it may, I don't think your services are necessary. I assure you, human roach, that anything you can do, my legions can do ten times better. Besides, you said it yourself. I'm his majesty's greatest tracker. This is nothing I can't handle, and I certainly don't need the assistance of a human. My tenth unit is more than suited for this task," Ziran countered rudely in obvious distain.

Aiumi rolled her eyes, just barely visible above her raven-colored face mask. "I see. So instead of sending a professional with a proven record, you're going to send a bunch of pointy-eared buffoons that will fail just like the last unit you sent to find that kid from Furni and his dog—the one who gave you that scar. It's been almost five months and you still can't find them. Not to mention the unit sent to that bandit Captain with orders to retrieve the research journal that hasn't surfaced yet either. All that, on top of the unit that you sent to find your missing kids that was found dead and you have no idea why. Yes, General, so far your units have a wonderful rate of accomplishment," she retorted snidely herself.

Ziran stood rooted to the spot, gapping at Aiumi's audacity; his pale skin had taken on an infuriated shade of purple. Bardel seemed to be amused watching this assassin crawl under Ziran's skin and was grinning hardily until she rounded on him.

"I don't know why you've got such a smug look on your face—Bardel, was it? Your list of achievements is just as pitiful. Was it not you who failed to secure your meeting area and tie up loose ends? Well gentlemen, it's sad to say, but it seems the two of you, and perhaps all the rest of you," she announced with pride looking at the angered collection of elves and winglies, "have not been efficient at getting things done and now your boss hired me to fix your mistakes," she goaded.

"Lord Nvernias would never hire a human over the General!" one of the elf underlings sneered at her viscously, gaining appreciative nods from the other elves.

"Oh?" Aiumi laughed blatantly. "Is that so? Then why do I have his official banner and your secret pass code if you elves are so strong and mighty? Now I don't deny my client seems to have a strong distaste for me as a human, but he understands the value of my services as such. I, being a lowly human, can go into human cities without suspicion and can bring you inside information your wonderful scouts couldn't dream of obtaining normally. I can get closer to any human target without drawing unwanted attention than you ever could. And that, dear General, seems to be what your boss is wanting. And I am more than competent, let me assure you. In fact, I'll give you my resume right now. I'm sure you'll find it more impressive than your list of flamboyant failures. For starters, I've never failed a single assignment or been defeated in combat as of yet. I have successfully hijacked and subjugated four of the world's greatest battleships, including the S.S. Devotion and the H.S.S Azure Revenge. I have singlehandedly assassinated fourteen highly guarded figureheads, ranging from bishops to barons, and have killed 137 armed guards and knights. I've retrieved over 75 'secret' royal documents and battle plans in my career and above all else, none of my targets have ever escaped me. Having said this, I think I'm much more qualified to deal with this situation than either of you two," she proclaimed nonchalantly.

"But hey, don't look so depressed. Look on the bright side, though I've never been one for optimism. This Zanum family that you're looking for doesn't know that Furni is completely under your control, and Furni is the only port out of this continent. So, if this family is trying to leave the place, they'll have to pass through there. If they don't they'll still be on this continent somewhere and they'll have no way to warn the other dragoons, say in Serdio? Plus with your 'esteemed scouts' you might actually be able to tell when they leave the forest. As for the kids—" she said, turning to look at the captive child for the first time.

It seemed that Ziran and Bardel had both lost all patience for this brazen human newcomer.

"Human, how dare you insult us!" Ziran snarled dangerously. "Assassin or not, I'm a superior being and will put you back into your place!" he continued with a nod of genuine consent from Bardel. Ziran started toward the assassin, but the ninja seemed unimpressed and didn't move an inch. Like before, she seemed perfectly unperturbed, even when another voice, colder than ice passed through the air and Liora's skin, giving her the shivers.

"**General, are you giving your assistant unprecedented trouble and disobeying the wishes of your King? If memory serves me correctly, we've already had this discussion. And you know I don't like to repeat myself." ** The voice assured darkly with every syllable containing what could only be described as evil.

Ziran immediately dropped to his knees. "Not…not at all my Lord! Everything is flowing smoothly! So this, this human, truly is your servant as well?" he asked with a meek voice, trying it seemed, desperately to regain his composure as his voice pitch changed dramatically. Liora could vaguely make out the skull-shaped cluster of diamonds on his wristband move as if it were alive. That seemed to be where the voice was coming from.

The menacing voice as it responded wasn't convinced. "**If what you say is true General and everything was flowing smoothly I'd have my objectives by now. General, I feel as if I would waste my breath—and you don't want that—to remind you that your clock is ticking. Fortunately for you, I'm in a good mood, so your behavior may pass for now. You are not to put a scratch on the human assassin, do you understand?" **the voice boomed threateningly.

"Yes my King. I understand. May I ask what pleases you so today?" Ziran asked hesitantly with a twinge of fear.

Liora could have sworn if she could see the person speaking, obviously Lord Nvernias, whoever he was, he would have been smiling. "**I have the woman. That is all, Ziran.**"

With this, the room fell silent again, although the expressions on the faces of the elves and winglies suggested this news had been pleasing to all of them. Liora had no idea what this meant and her heart was filled with dread for whatever was happening to this poor woman, whoever she was.

Ziran shook his head, clearing away the lingering nervousness and returned to his feet. He didn't say another word to the ninja, choosing instead to mutter profane phrases about humans in general as he faced the child. "Now to deal with you," he hissed venomously.

The elf General closed the distance between them in a stride. The child whimpered, still clenching her nose.

"Last chance, vermin. Speak," he growled, drawing his dagger for emphasis. "Where are your filthy friends hiding?"

As before, the little girl quaked in terror on the ground, gawking at him dumbly. What was left of Ziran's temper broke at last and he grabbed the child by the collar of her dress and yanked her off the ground. He began to shake her small body violently. "WHERE. . . ARE . . .THEY! I KNOW YOU KNOW!" he screeched at the top of his lungs through clenched teeth.

The child screamed in fright, but didn't answer. Ziran's patience was also gone. "HAVE IT YOUR WAY! I'LL RIP IT FROM YOU, THEN SEND YOU TO DEVILDOM! ALL OF YOU!" he bellowed fiercely and flung the helpless girl into a nearby wall. Liora's heart sank as the girl's head struck the rock wall, rendering her unconscious as she fell to the floor with a gash in her forehead.

Her shoe, which had been flung off her foot from the force, soared through the air and smacked Bardel on the side of the head. Liora's heart cried out in protest and her dragoon spirit sparked violently in agreement, thrumming with every feeling in Liora's heart before she could stop it. _Oh God, please not now_ Liora thought to herself, and frantically tried to cover her dragoon spirit. She was still in no position to fight so many powerful enemies at once, especially since she couldn't transform.

She shuffled around as silently as she could manage and succeeded after a second that seemed like eternity to suppress the dragoon spirit's glow. Luckily, no one in the room seemed to have noticed it happen, they were all too preoccupied.

The female assassin shifted slightly as Bardel rubbed his head. "Watch it!" he grumbled crossly.

Ziran didn't seem to hear or care, he thundered toward the defenseless child with black energy swirling over his hands.

Liora inhaled sharply before she could stop herself. If Ziran found out where the children were, it would be over unless she could warn them first. And more than that, when he finished with the girl, he was going to kill her. Liora prepared every fiber of herself to leap out of hiding and do something, she didn't know what, to save the little girl.

The ninja immediately turned to Liora's hiding place, looking straight at the spot she had concealed herself behind. The young archer's heart skipped a beat. Liora was relieved however, when instead of revealing her, the assassin walked over and picked up the child's stray shoe. She began examining it with keen interest.

"Watch it indeed, gentlemen. General Ziran, I believe I have the answer to your plaguing enigma right here," she announced loudly, running one gloved finger over the sole of the shoe and removing a streak of blackened ash. "Black Ash. I know of only one place in the world where it's found. Coincidentally, it's found right here in this very forest. It's the only thing that survived the demon's black flame."

Ziran's long ears twitched before he turned around instantaneously, allowing his magic to fade. "The ruins! But we searched that place so completely! She could have just passed through there!" he demanded hotly. "Let me see that!" he commanded irately.

"Of course," Aiumi remarked sarcastically and tossed it to him.

The elf scoured the shoe with his eyes and scooped a small portion of caked mud with his pinky, before running his forefinger over it as well. He took in the smell of it, and his eyes ignited with a new purposeful malice.

"That makes sense! This earth smells of water and feels of darkness! The underground!

There are only three places in Neet where the ground is hollow: The well, a small area towards the south end and the church! And since two of them are too small to fit even three human rats, there's only one place they could be hiding! They're all underneath the church!" Ziran sneered suddenly in realization, though a strong sense of elation was coming into his voice.

The assassin rolled her eyes once more. "Well, it's about time. But don't thank me for it," she snorted.

Liora's heart dropped into her knees. This was now a matter of life and death for all of the refugees, not just the little girl. Liora had to get back to them and warn them, or they'd all be killed. She shifted uncomfortably, now restless with urgency. They should all be leaving the room soon, and then she would act.

"Call the hunting party! Come, let's go sporting!" Ziran ordered to an underling in the hall with mirth as they began filing out of the room.

The ninja, however, wasn't as gung-ho as the rest. Liora craned her neck ever so slightly to get a better look at whatever it was holding the assassin up from leaving.

"Good idea. There's just one problem," the assassin announced plainly.

General Ziran turned to face her with an exasperated expression. "What is it now?"

In one solid and swift motion, the assassin shot out her ebon-clad arm a flung a metallic, silver throwing star out from underneath her glove. The spiky weapon flew through the air with lightning speed and embedded itself in the wall millimeters from Liora's nose. The projectile caused Liora to step out from her concealment in surprise with a loud and startled yelp.

"We have a guest," the ninja declared simply. "And she's heard every word that was said here."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon; I'm just playing around in their world for fun. All copyrights are still in effect and property of Sony Entertainment.

Light Breaks Through

Numerous pairs of malicious eyes turned toward Liora in an instant, and every fiber of the young archer's body screamed in protest to just how exposed she had become. The shock on Liora's own face must have mirrored everyone else's in the room, save Aiumi.

"You breathe loudly and move even more so. I don't know what idiot spy would bring a flashing light source with them into a dimly lit room. It betrayed you and cast your shadow against the wall," the assassin explained smugly.

General Ziran looked as if he might actually lose his balance from sheer surprise. He blinked, and then began to yell in outrage. "A human spy! How could I have—never mind. It doesn't matter what you've just seen or heard, roach. You won't live to spread the news to your inferior species! You're about to regret the day you were born!"

Bardel, whom had seemingly been right beside Ziran, also sneered in disgust upon catching sight of Liora. "This will be the last time a spy is in our midst! Too bad for you that whoever you're spying for won't be receiving any information," he hissed icily.

Those beings still present in the room all started to converge on Liora along with several guards that began flooding back through the doorway at an alarming rate. Liora knew she couldn't take them all on, and especially not all at once. That left her only one option, and that was a swift retreat. Using the cunning she was always praised for, Liora quickly assessed the new situation, formulated a plan, and put it into action.

In an impressive display of adrenaline-backed speed and agility Liora darted in-between Ziran and Bardel and grabbed the unconscious child under her arms. In her frantic state of alert, Liora didn't notice the child's weight at all and shifted her effortlessly into a carrying position. Eyeing her only means of escape to be a medium-sized window to the right, Liora jumped onto the windowsill. She hastily grabbed the dangling tapestry secured to the wall next to her as best she was able with one arm. Using it as a rope, she jumped out the window without another look back.

As she had hoped, the threads of the short tapestry were weak and ripped along the seams, elongating the fabric to a more suitable length rather than catching. When they were six feet from the ground Liora released the rope and landed hard, but gracefully on the forest floor. She shifted the unconscious and injured child around her arms once more to support more of the weight, which she was rapidly beginning to notice. The child was heavy and Liora was by no means very physically strong, but she was determined to escape regardless. She had to, or the refugees would never know what hit them.

Liora started running as fast as she could in the direction that she had first come. The forest began to thicken about forty feet ahead and Liora knew the thick underbrush was going to slow her down. She grimaced; she was already moving too slowly. She would never be able to outrun the elven hunting party and the three seeming conspirators. Her only other option was to try and hide somewhere, though the logical odds of being discovered were about the same if she kept running. She was going up against and expert tracker and a trained ninja, but what choice did she have?

Up above in the tower, Liora could still hear General Ziran's zealous but sour shouting. "CATCH HER! YOU FOOLS, GET DOWN THERE IMMEDIATELY! DON'T LET HER GET AWAY!"

"SHE COULD RUIN EVERYTHING! HEAD HER OFF!" screeched the voice of Bardel in eerie unison.

Liora had to hide, at least momentarily. While the elves may have had to stick to the ground, the winglies with Bardel could fly and they would be out the window in moments. If they spotted her, they would gun her down from above instantly.

Liora made a lunge for a cluster of darkened, thick underbrush. She clutched the child to her protectively and tried to still her ragged breathing and her racing heart. Aiumi the assassin jumped nimbly out of the window and landed in a fancy spiral on her feet, followed closely by Bardel and his winglies with thrumming blue wings. General Ziran came thundering out the front door moments later accompanied by his own battalion of guards. Liora held her breath completely, afraid of being caught by the assassin like before.

"Where'd she go? She couldn't have gotten away that fast!" one of the guards shouted as the coalition of evil stopped running and paused to scan the area.

"She couldn't have gotten far! You two," Ziran barked crisply to a pair of his guards, "Go that way," he commanded, pointing North. "The rest of you go east! I'll go West. Assassin, go to the south. Bardel, if you can get a decent aerial view…" he demanded harshly.

The guards, and the wingly Bardel, nodded. Much to Liora's surprise though Ziran had just given the wingly commander an order, he was too preoccupied to bicker about it, it seemed. Everyone around them obeyed the orders without question. The assassin, Aiumi, didn't seem pleased. She rolled her eyes, but said nothing. She left quickly, but not before she and General Ziran held a contemptuous glance between them.

Liora was both pleased and dismayed with this new turn of events at the same time. While a majority of her foes had gone in the wrong directions, including the ninja that had discovered her in the first place, she now had to dodge around General Ziran, an expert tracker and an elf. Liora's stomach twisted nervously. This was going to be extremely difficult. As an elf, all of the General's senses were heightened naturally far above human level.

The unfortunate child they had taken prisoner began to stir ever so slightly as the General made his way in their broad direction. Liora closed her eyes for a split second to calm herself, and quietly shifted positions as General Ziran entered into close-range of their hiding place.

That was another of her mother's teachings that she was thankful for, the ability to keep a cool head, even when you're scared, in dangerous or emergency situations. Truthfully though, Liora guessed it must have been more inherited than learned. A settling feeling of calm washed over her as Liora opened her eyes again. Maybe, then again, her lack of intense panic might have also had something to do with her dragoon spirit. Surprisingly, though it wasn't illuminated in any form, it was resonating with feelings of serenity, protection, and gentle power.

"Where did you go, filthy human…you couldn't have gotten far. I know you're around here somewhere. Surrender now, it's pointless to hide. I'll find you eventually, just as I found the last human bastard that tried to outmaneuver me…and he was three continents away. I WILL find you. Unlike that assassin slime, I can sense magic, and for some reason you glow with it," he announced loudly to the forest at large.

Liora carefully used her mother's training for stealth and stepped backwards with the child behind a tree. She lost sight of the elf General for a mere second as she did so, and the next thing she knew, she was being seized by a rough hand from behind. Sharp nails, almost like claws, dug fiercely into her shoulder.

Liora cried out in pain and dropped the child she was holding in reflex. A bright flash issued forth from her dragoon spirit as she was forcibly whirled around. The young dragoon found herself face to disfigured face with General Ziran, whom eyed her with a mix of hatred and curiosity.

"Not so brave are you now, you little—well, well! It looks like I've found the imperial archer that killed my patrol!" he suddenly exclaimed with a dark sense of surprise. "I have to admit you definitely don't look like much… I can hardly believe the things your vile, inferior human hands have done now that I'm seeing you for myself!" he snarled upon eyeing her quiver and crystal embellished bow. "It doesn't matter. The fact is I have you now and you and your little slimeball friend are going to pay dearly. Wriggle your way out of this, human worm!" he hissed in her face venomously as he clamped down even harder into Liora's shoulder.

Liora suppressed another pained outcry, partially because she was still in shock and partially because she was horrified. Up-close and personal, General Ziran was even uglier than first glance. The demented-looking gash marred his face horribly and gave insight to the inner portions of his facial anatomy. From what Liora could tell, without the gash, the General might have actually been a beautiful being. But in his present state, his face was not only open and exposed, but rendered uneven and grotesque.

Liora was stunned speechless for a moment before she found her tongue again, but what she said wasn't what she'd been expecting of herself. Her voice when she responded was filled with more courage than she presently felt and full of defiance. Ignoring the immediate pain, instead of trying to pull out of the General's grip, Liora turned into it. The pain lessened and with bravery her mother would have been proud of, she stared the dark elf directly in his eyes.

"And what exactly am I paying for? What's my crime other than trying to rescue an innocent child? And better yet, what's hers? What has an innocent little girl done to deserve what you did to her? I think you ought to release both of us at once and I'll think about letting you live," Liora bluffed, though powerfully. She knew she was outmatched here, but she wasn't going to let the elf think it for a moment.

Ziran laughed bitterly and wiggled his fingers underneath the flesh of Liora's shoulder. She couldn't retain the yelp of agony this time and the elf's bitter laughter turned into one of mirth.

"Listen to the mouth on you insect! You actually have the audacity to threaten me, the spider, when you're no more than a fly caught in my web? No, you won't be going anywhere quickly human, you or your maggot! If you had half the power you claimed, and as a human that is impossible, you wouldn't be in this position," he assured coldly.

Something in the elf's laughter and perhaps the truth in his words seemed to zap all confidence from Liora's heart. She quickly changed tactics, perhaps it would work.

"You have what you want," Liora declared truthfully. "Take me and spare the girl. You can't learn anything else from her and she knows nothing about your war or your plans. I, on the other hand, heard everything you said and saw your map on the table. I'm a far greater threat, and the girl, as you said, is just an insect in your eyes and she can't even move. What crimes can she commit against you anymore?" the young archer tried to reason.

Ziran eyed Liora up and down for a moment skeptically and a shiver passed through her spine. His lip curled, but not his mercy. "You're in no position to barter, human. Her crime, and yours, is your existence. Humans are a race unfit for anything but servitude. You are a reckless species and leave everything in chaos. Left on your own, you'll only go extinct. You're less than animals…even they have more wit than the whole of humanity. But, you, insect are an interesting specimen. I've yet to see this kind of self-sacrificing behavior from anyone else in your grime-infused race."

Liora glared at him spitefully. "What have humans ever done to you! What makes you think you're so much better than everyone else! Your racism is disgusting! I'll bet you feel the exact same way about the winglies too—you're only pretending to ally with the ones around you. I'll wager that when you get whatever it is you're after, you'll turn on them too!" Liora exclaimed boldly.

Ziran snorted in a half-hearted amusement. "Smart, aren't you? For an insect, you're quite perceptive, which is perhaps why you've lived this long and were able to best my battalion. Why am I superior? Because I'm a Shidari, I have more magical power in one finger than humans and winglies combined. I am of the strongest race in existence; I can best a dragon with ease. Have you ever heard of natural selection, human? The Shidari are on the top of the chain," he ranted arrogantly.

Seeing an opportunity as the elf General's grip loosed slightly, Liora grabbed Ziran's pale hand and dislodged his fingers from her skin before pulling completely out of his grip using a move her mother had taught her. In reflex, she dove onto the ground, retrieving her bow and lined it with an arrow from her quiver. Stepping in front of the incapacitated child protectively, Liora took a defensive stance. This elf had no mercy or compassion and reason had also failed. Now was the time to fight.

"You try anything else on either of us and I will stop you where you stand in an instant! Make no mistake, as distasteful as I find killing, I'll make an exception for you!" she growled dangerously. "I actually feel sorry for you in a way. Your hatred makes you so blind! You have a black heart and an even uglier mug!" she retorted fiercely.

General Ziran growled nastily and his taunting expression turned sour. "How dare you, leech! My hatred makes me blind does it? Well, your compassion makes a fool out of you, just like it made a fool out of that Furni bastard. And very soon, you'll both be dead fools. You want to see ugly then, do you? I'll show you a new meaning for your pathetic word!" he raved darkly and in that moment, Liora believed everything he said. Ugly really did take on a whole new level.

Even in the already present darkness of night, Liora could still distinguish the ebon-colored mist that suddenly invaded her surroundings, swirling like clouds of solid blackness. All the light instantly vanished from the area; even the beaming moon and shining stars had been no match against the raven mist and disappeared into the opaque darkness.

It seemed that this new darkness had more than just a physical effect. Liora began to immediately feel a negative spiritual aspect of this new magic wash over her in waves. Her entire body, both inside and out, went completely bone-chilling cold. The icy ire passed even beyond her physical tissues and into her subconscious and wisped into her very soul. And as the black malice swept through her entirety, it did something she never would have imagined possible. It swept all the light out of the young teenager.

The sudden forced absence of the light scared Liora immediately, and she realized that had been her courage all along. She now found herself on what appeared to be a solid black backdrop, a dimension of nothing but dark color. She could still see her own body, the child she was defending, and General Ziran. He was channeling the strange, unnatural mist into his own body and the tainted energy was lifting him into the air. As he absorbed more and more of the darkness, Liora began to see the change in him.

His sleek and smooth navy-blue hair suddenly became ratty and coarse as his deep-colored eyes became solidly black. His smooth, pale skin turned a sickly hue of gray and donned a groove-filled texture, almost like a shriveled prune. His lips parted as he spoke, revealing needle-sharp yellowed teeth.

"Do you see now, human? Do you see what we really are?" he taunted with a resounding, evil voice. "Thus is the price of the power we wield, but it is immense!"

Liora didn't think she'd ever seen anything more repulsive in her entire life. So this was the true form of all dark elves? They were supposed to be a race renowned for their physical beauty. Nowhere, not in any text she'd ever read or any scholar she'd ever spoke to, had she heard of anything like this before. Nothing, not even the scattered and vague accounts of early demons she'd read in the restricted section, compared to this at all. The Sacred Sister's daughter could only stand motionless, struck dumb by the sight before her and crippled by the feeling of stark fear and powerful darkness within. She was terrified, and confused. Why was he showing her this? She had no doubt he could have easily fought and killed her without this bizarre darkness. He himself had admitted she didn't look like much.

Frozen into her fighting stance, Liora tried to move her mouth. She still maintained control of that much, and fighting back the sheer panic, she voiced the question aloud. "Why are you showing me this? Are you trying to scare me? Because you're failing! I'm not afraid of you!" she lied brazenly.

General Ziran's responding grin was demonic in more ways than one. "You will be. You made the mistake of mocking me before insect, and I thought I'd set the record straight. You did say you wanted to know what put me above everything else!" he laughed sinisterly. "What's the phrase? Oh yes—ask and you shall receive? This is but a small portion of my real power, insect. Now you're going to cower before me and beg for mercy! You're going to wish you'd surrendered and died minutes ago when I gave you the option! I've wanted this for a long time, and conveniently, I'll take out my frustrations with your entire species on you, since you're already here! Waste not," he cackled menacingly. "I think, since you've tried to be so righteous, I'll let your own emotions be what destroys you, vermin!" he added maliciously.

The new persona of General Ziran advanced on Liora and she prepared to fire, but before she could even blink, he'd already seized her around the throat. How had he gotten there so quickly? It was like he'd shifted through dimensions. Just as quickly, in a movement that barely registered to Liora's eyes, he pulled back his arm and made to strike her chest with his palm. The strike made impact, but oddly Liora didn't feel any pain. Almost as if his touch was purely ethereal at this point, the only sensation Liora could distinguish was more of the sickly cold, demented dark.

It wasn't long before she was drowning, mentally and physically in darkness. Not long after the demonic elf general had touched her, she lost sight of everything, including herself, completely. There was nothing now. Nothing but the endless, black void. She felt like she was choking, though she was almost completely sure there was still air present. She realized grimly that somewhere in the back of her mind she wasn't suffocating for lack of air, but lack of light. A lack of substance. There was a creeping ichor flowing from somewhere, over what she assumed was her body that she could no longer see. As the tingle manifested, it became a negative flow of energy that carried with it everything stored within her own mind. All her happy thoughts, memories, and dreams drained away into nothing along with every warm experience or sensation. The light she had once loved so much was now gone. It was like she was a shell. Those small memories or feelings had been what composed her. And yet, somehow, she had a soul still….

Then, one by one, every unpleasant feeling, every horrible or sad memory came flooding into her awareness, filling the hollow shell to full capacity with turbulent water and enormous misery. Nothing about this was physical, Liora knew, but somehow everything hurt like it was. The feeling of being trapped within her own agony was unbearable. There was nothing to counteract or neutralize this torment, and any second, Liora expected to burst from the pain. All the jumbled feelings: hurt, loss, despair, anger, fear, anxiety, embarrassment, and shame collided violently within her own being in a tumultuous uproar that showed no sign of ceasing, no matter what futile attempts Liora made at retaliation. Nothing could make this utter misery stop.

From somewhere in the distance, yet somewhere close as well, Liora could hear General Ziran's jeering voice. "Enjoying yourself, human?" he taunted. "This is only the beginning! I can feel your feeble struggle, it's exhilarating! Now then, onto the main event. Let's see what your worst nightmares can be made of," he proclaimed giddily.

Suddenly, memories from her life began to flash into vision from the nothingness. She saw people, places and things from both her past and her present, and most of them she cared for greatly. She saw Queen Theresa, Sister Setite, Sister Wink, and Sister Luanna. She saw Bandie and a few of her other childhood friends. She saw Mittens, an adorable cat she'd had when she was younger. She saw Deningrad and the Crystal Palace along with the faces of the many townsfolk she knew. Liora saw images of the library, she saw herself on her balcony, and she saw the sunset….the amount of garbled images was making Liora dizzy as they began to surface faster and faster. She vaguely recognized Remona's face, some early images of Mrs. Meru, and then her mother. The collage of images stopped abruptly upon seeing the last one.

Ziran snickered snidely. "Aww, how absolutely DISGUSTING. Your mother is she? Yes, I can see in here you care for her a great deal. I know what you fear, and now it will be your reality."

A fresh surge of torment washed over Liora and she felt herself pulled downward as if by a huge wave of water. Once more she felt as if she were drowning as a strange scene, almost like a movie was trying to play in her mind. She felt the boundaries of her awareness closing inward as if her own mind were entombing her within this bizarre memory.

In those moments, though she couldn't see it, Liora became increasingly aware of her physical body and felt the remnants of her strength leave it. She fell onto something hard on what felt like her knees. She could also feel what she guessed was Ziran's hand in her chest, grabbing her heart. It really did seem like he'd reached through her body somehow.

What little shred of defiance was left in Liora told her this was her last chance to escape whatever strange spell that Ziran was weaving, but how could she? She was in such terrible pain, and even if she wasn't, what would be the point of escape? There was nothing…only the darkness. All Liora's positive feelings and memories had gone and all the light had died. She had nothing with which to combat this darkness. Hopelessness and defeat settled over her and then like a solitary star on the blackest of nights one thought pierced through the gloom. It didn't matter what she wanted. She wasn't there for herself. What became of her didn't matter, but no matter the cost she had to help Queen Theresa first. She had to save her. And she could only do that by saving herself first. She would gladly give her life for Queen Theresa, for her mother, and for her family, but she couldn't give up now or she'd fail them all.

This revelation of determination acted as an open door and in an instant, her selfless love for all the people in her life brought Liora's light flooding back. Strength seeped back into her limbs, and as each second passed the thought didn't fade. It started to lend her more and more power against the evil blackness holding her at bay. Little by little the darkness began to become hazy and clear away until at last Liora could see General Ziran in front of her. Although she still felt weakened, she mustered up all of her positive feelings at the edges of her consciousness. The weakness left abruptly and was replaced by a surge of strength. It was as if the light was bursting through—literally.

A white-silver light suddenly became visible, even to Liora's fuzzy vision. She could tangibly experience the light as it wrapped around her and suddenly pierced through the darkness above in a beam around her body.

General Ziran was blasted backwards by the sheer force of the light and with his destructive touch no longer affecting her, all of Liora's senses and memories returned fully-fledged. She suddenly felt weightless, like she was a feather in the wind as she was lifted into the air by an unseen force. Her clothing began to melt away into bright, white feathers, that once they had cleared her body, rearranged themselves over her once more and melded into a dazzling white metal in a flash of light.

There were more flashes of light as the metal solidified around her, conforming perfectly to her body. Sparkles of multicolored light danced all around her before pulling together into a large, beaming white ball which attached to her back and fanned out in both east and west directions. The radiant sphere coalesced into two, beautiful white wings with iridescent colors in the pearly white folds. Liora's bow had changed too; in a shimmer of beams the white wood had changed into white metal and nearly doubled in length. The collection of multicolored and golden lights suddenly swirled together before the mixture spiraled into itself and then exploded outwards in a final, dazzling array of pure light that completely blasted the remnants of the unearthly darkness away.

Liora was completely stunned as she looked around. She was back in the forest, all the darkness was gone. What was more, she was now a dragoon. She could feel the power of the White-Silver dragon, strong but tender, coursing through her. So this was the power of the dragons, and the power her mother had once wielded? Liora momentarily let herself revel in the liberating feeling. More than anything, the transformation had just washed away all of her doubt. She knew now that she could save Queen Theresa, she could save the wounded child, and she could save herself. All thanks to the white dragon.

She took an extra second to look herself over. She now wore stunning white armor, starting with gauntlets that completely covered her hands and forearms. The rest of her arms were bare up to the shoulders, where she had donned gleaming pauldrons that melded at the joints into a pearlescent breastplate. The breastplate covered her entire upper chest, and then stopped about two inches over her bust before giving way to a patch of bare skin over the flat of her stomach. Her platemail resumed at the waist and fanned out into an armored skirt that covered her upper legs down to mid-thigh. Below, starting from the top of her knees, she wore plated ivory boots that encased her lower legs completely, including her feet. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed what she already knew; she had beautiful, brilliant white wings with a subtle rainbow myriad of colors in the creamy folds.

She heard a loud groan from in front of herself as General Ziran stirred. The elf General collected himself from where he had been blasted. He shook his hideous head and in an instant, whatever glamour spell he had giving him his original appearance returned. He rubbed his head in confusion, seemingly dazed.

"What the—"he mumbled, before looking up. When he caught sight of the newly transformed Liora he was speechless, though his mouth flapped open soundlessly and his eyes widened in pure shock and he hastily sprang back onto his feet. "DRAGOON!" he thundered.

Liora found herself actually smiling as she answered him. "Yes. You of all people should know appearances are deceiving."

General Ziran scowled, though his voice took on a more even tone. "An interesting turn of events. However, dragoon or not, you cannot defeat all of us and time is running out for your little maggot," he reminded icily and as he spoke Liora saw several animals emerge into the forest clearing with a baleful red gleam in their eyes. Ziran pushed a button on his wristband before advancing once more.

Something was definitely wrong with the forest wildlife. Liora instantly made the association; she remembered her mother saying something about there being unprovoked attacks on people who lived on the forest edge and several travelers going missing. Now Liora understood why, the dark elves must have been controlling the animals somehow. The numbers of the brainwashed creatures startled Liora, they were everywhere and all of them were closing in around her. Out of the corner of her eye, Liora recognized a trent, a normally peaceful species of tree-like beings, reach out with its roots for the wounded child behind her. Ziran was right about her time running out, her face was pale and the color she still retained was flushed. Her head injury had yet to stop bleeding though it had slowed considerably.

Ignoring Ziran completely, Liora turned from him and glided over the ground. She swiftly snatched the child out of the creature's clutches in one hand. She could easily lift the child now; the strength of the White-Silver Dragon was more than enough for it. In a move that was purely instinctual, Liora used her other hand to summon a mass of light energy. Surprisingly, whatever she was doing seemed to work, a white glow enveloped her hand like impulse instructed her it should. Turning to face the crowd of mind-controlled critters, Liora directed her glowing hand toward the center of the group and watched as light rippled off of her arm.

The light washed over the multitudes of crazed animals closing in on them and as it left them, so did whatever evil spell they were under. The demonic red glow faded from their eyes as they blinked in unison. As the final effects of Liora's light spell took hold, many of the animals instantaneously regained their normal demeanors and scampered hurriedly away in fright. Amazed, Liora realized that her magic, like the unicorn's had a very special healing ability. Quickly conjuring another small batch of light in her palm, Liora began to heal the gravely injured child on her arm.

The results were immediate to Liora's relief. Like the unicorn, the child's wounds began to crust over and dissolve into themselves, leaving in their place healthy skin and tissue. The child was stable now; Liora knew it was safe to move her. It was time to exit this place at top speed. Liora recalled reading a book once on the mechanics of flight, and decided now was the perfect time to apply that knowledge. She kicked of hard from the ground, flapping her wings powerfully. She gained altitude swiftly and besides a few scrapes against her armor from the treetops, she didn't encounter much opposition as she soared into the open night sky. Far below she could vaguely make out General Ziran's enraged shouting, but she paid him no more mind. He couldn't fly to her knowledge and the winglies that could were nowhere close.

The light dragoon put an extra burst of strength behind her wings and took off at top speed toward the refugee hideout. While she'd managed to delay their leader, Liora knew Ziran's hunting party must already be on their way to Neet. This was it. The children had to make a run for Deningrad or it would be too late. If Liora could reach Remona in time, she knew together they could make a big enough distraction to allow the kids a head start.

The night wind whipped through Liora's hair as she flew and the moonlight cast a shimmering halo of color around her. Even though she was in a hurry, she was still enjoying the experience. Knowing that she was one of the few humans ever in existence to enjoy the sensation made it truly marvelous. A few minutes later Liora spotted the timberline on the horizon. It was still a good ways away, even by flying standards and for some reason she was beginning to become extremely exhausted. It was incredible just how far she had actually gone into the woods.

Straining her aching muscles and her resolve, Liora fought with the sudden cramps in her wings and the increasing weight of her dragoon armor. She pressed forward, though her fatigue could no longer be ignored and she pitched in the air. About halfway to the timberline one of her wings gave a painful lurch and she dropped several feet before she was able to regain herself. A fall from this height would be fatal for both her and the child, and Liora knew she was getting closer to fainting every second. Pain was bursting in her arms and legs and bubbles of agony were popping in her head. She immediately decided to land, couldn't ignore the physical torment of her already stressed body and risk killing them both. She would have to run the rest of the way.

Landing was easier said than done and by the time Liora had finished her descent she barely had the strength to stay conscious herself. Utterly drained, she used the last of her coordination to touch back down to the ground before she stumbled onto her armored knees. She accidently dropped her rescued hostage, whom upon hitting the ground, groaned and opened her eyes.

Her light green eyes widened in shock as she saw Liora. "Are you an angel? Did I die?" she asked meekly, almost too timid to move.

Liora lifted her head to meet the child's gaze before her armor and everything else dragoon was absorbed back into the pearly orb at her neck in a flash of white-silver light. When the spots faded from Liora's pained eyes she found that she was back in her original clothing with her original bow and she no longer had wings. She panted heavily as she tried to no avail to return to her feet. The little girl she'd saved continued to gawk at her in awe as Liora tried to move her mouth to answer. She supposed with sparkling wings and white armor she did look like an angel.

Catching her breath at last, Liora responded as best she could. "I'm not an angel, but I am here to help. My name is Liora. Are you one of the refugees? And no, we are still alive," she huffed heavily.

The child seemed confused at first, but then seemed to remember what happened. She squeaked softly. "You saved me from that guy with the pointy ears, didn't you? And all my pain is gone. Yes, I'm from Furni. I was with Ricki and my other friends when we escaped. You're the lady that saved Sam! He's my brother! I'm Sarah!" she exclaimed suddenly in excitement.

Liora managed a weakened smile, though sincere as she tried once more to stand, but failed. Her legs felt like they were made of mush and time was running out.

"Liora, are you okay?" Sarah asked quietly as she watched the worn-out dragoon fall onto her knees once more.

Liora inhaled deeply. "I think I'll be fine, I'm just very tired. Listen Sarah, do you know the way back to the church?" she asked pointedly.

Sarah nodded. "I think so," she affirmed, though with confidence.

"Then I need you to run back there as fast as you can and warn the others! Tell them that the elves are coming and they need to make a run for Deningrad," Liora instructed swiftly.

A frightened expression crossed Sarah's face. "What about you?"

"Don't worry, I—" Liora began, but stopped midsentence. Someone or something was rapidly approaching through the woods in front of them. Through the darkness, Liora could only make out a vaguely humanoid shape. Fearful that it was an elf that had somehow found them first, Liora grasped feebly for her bow with no idea how she was going to lift it, let alone fight when her arms felt like lead weights.

A dark blue, sapphire-colored light lit the surrounding area briefly and Liora's dragoon spirit responded eagerly with a flare of blinding white light. The cold, but powerful feeling washed through her numbed limbs bringing with it recognition and relief.

"Remona!" Liora called out her friend's name desperately.

Her voice was music to Liora's ears when she answered. "Liora! There you are! I knew something wasn't right because you were gone a long time and then I got the feeling you were in trouble. I knew I had to find you so I followed my— Damn, you look terrible! What happened?" she asked swiftly in unmistakable concern.

"Remona, there's no time! I can't—I transformed—I—" Liora stammered, trying through her exhaustion to form a coherent and effective explanation in the least amount of time. She failed miserably as her head started to swim again and she fell forward from her knees.

Remona caught Liora in her arms with an odd expression. Liora vaguely thought she saw Remona nod her head as if in answer to something before she pulled a bottle of pink liquid from her belt and helped Liora to drink it.

For reasons the young archer couldn't explain she suddenly began to feel more lively. Her strength, vision, and focus all returned at a rapid rate and within moments she was able to return to her feet, albeit with Remona's help. Remona held her steady until she was able to balance herself, all the while waiting expectantly for Liora's news.

"What did you just give me?" Liora asked in curiosity.

"It's called a spirit potion. I'll explain later. What happened that caused you to transform?" she responded urgently.

"Remona, the refugees are in grave danger! The elves know where they are! We have to get back as quickly as we can, they have to make a run for it now or they'll never make it!" Liora replied in one hasty breath.

Even in the pale moonlight Liora could see the serious expression on Remona's shadowed face. "How did they—never mind. We'll have to run, you're still too weak to attempt the transformation again and I don't think I can either. Is your friend up to it, or do I need to carry her?" Remona asked quickly, acknowledging Sarah.

"I can run on my own," Sarah assured stoutly as the three of them took off running swiftly. They arrived back into Neet much more quickly than Liora had thought was possible and all three of them raced down the church steps and through the heavy doors, leaving two very surprised guards.

"RICKI!" Remona called loudly, searching hastily for him with her eyes. Liora spotted him over at a makeshift table talking to a group of younger boys. He instantly recognized Remona's voice and the sound of his name being called frantically. Without another word he rushed over to meet them.

"Liora, Remona—Sarah! My God we've been so worried about you! What's wrong?" he asked, reading their expressions.

Liora hastily embarked on a shortened version of the emergency situation. "Ricki, the elves are on their way here! They know where you are! You need to evacuate everyone immediately and make a run for Deningrad!"

"And you need to hurry, we're almost out of time," Remona interjected seriously as she touched her dark dragoon spirit tensely. She seemed to be picking up on something else as well, but she didn't voice it aloud.

Ricki took in all of the news surprisingly fast. "Are you sure?" he asked urgently and Liora nodded crisply. "Damn… and Deningrad is so far away! We have so many injured people! We'll never make it running, we might be better off just staying here and fighting!" he swore darkly.

"No, you're outmatched and outnumbered. This is a fight a trained army of adults couldn't win, much less a group of frightened kids. It will be a slaughter," Remona countered him directly.

"It's true," Liora furthered. "The elves have reinforcements and not to mention they can use magic. Swords and arrows will only be of so much use," Liora protested grimly.

Sarah nodded. "It's true Ricki! I saw them! Miss Liora rescued me from them!" she piped.

Ricki looked from the child to Liora hesitantly and it looked as if for a moment he was going to inquire about the story, however he just sighed heavily. "We'll need a distraction and a big one too, to give us any sort of head start. I can't think of anything that big off the top of my head, but my gut tells me that you two can for some reason," he said in frustration, turning to the two dragoons.

Liora grinned slightly. She could think of two far more threatening foes for the elves to chase. "You're right about that. We can help you out there," she said suggestively towards Remona, whom nodded curtly.

"She's right. Leave that part to us," Remona affirmed.

Ricki considered them both hesitantly. "How much time do you think you can buy us?" he asked dubiously.

Remona thought to herself for a moment before responding. "If everything goes according to plan," she pondered aloud, "We can probably give you a head start of about three or four hours and keep them preoccupied for a solid two days or so," she speculated.

Liora looked to her companion with a serious expression. "Only two?" she rephrased skeptically.

"Well like I said before, that's provided we don't get caught. There is a strong possibility we might be able to hold them up longer, but I'm just trying to estimate on the side of caution and most logistical probability," she replied reasonably.

Despite the dire circumstances, Liora shot Remona a playful smirk. "Then let's not get caught."

To Liora's surprise, Remona actually cracked a smile, albeit just for a few seconds. "I like the way you think. Ricki," she announced, turning to the refugee leader, "We'll probably need two more potions if you have them available," she requested simplistically.

Ricki sighed. "I'm afraid we only have one more, it's all Tim was able to salvage of his father's store, but seeing as what you're doing is to save our lives, you're welcome to it," he promised, pulling another pink vial out of a deep pant pocket and handing it to her.

A slight frown crossed Remona's face, signaling to Liora this was a major hitch in whatever plan she had, but before she could voice anything aloud, Ricki presented the pair with yet another dilemma.

"This is truly damn rotten luck," he muttered ruefully. "If we're going to make a run for Deningrad I will have to be leading my friends and fighting at the front to defend them if necessary. They definitely won't make it without me and that leaves you two stranded out here without a guide into Furni. My contact was supposed to meet us tomorrow and you two don't know the way," he informed regretfully.

Remona and Liora considered together for a moment. "You'll just have to tell us as best you can how to find the tunnel," Liora replied gently.

"And remind us of your friend's name," Remona added. "Tell us and we'll worry about finding him ourselves."

"I have a small map—it's hand-drawn so it's not great, you understand? But anyway, it's probably the most accurate thing we have now since the destruction of the city. The map's a rough schematic of Furni's old tunnel systems, though I can't promise you they're all still in usable condition. In fact, some of them might be downright dangerous—they flood sometimes at high tide and some are so old that they've become unstable and might cave in," he admonished pulling a rough and tattered piece of parchment from inside his vest.

Remona nodded curtly. "Don't worry. We can handle ourselves. Just mark the spot for us if you can," she encouraged swiftly.

Ricki nodded. "Right. There it is," he furthered, drawing a black X with a piece of dusty charcoal over a portion of the paper. "The tunnel is due south from here, under the Crystalline Waterfall. The entrance, again, might be partially flooded so be careful. The tunnel should come up just under the eastern fringes of the city, where the old inn used to be. My friend's name is Talyn Weatherford, he's the local baker. If you can, meet him in the alley at seven in the evening," he explained hastily and handed Liora the makeshift map.

"Thank you so much for everything. Soa watch over you and may you have the speed of the wind. Rest assured, we'll do everything we can," Liora assured kindly.

Remona scowled slightly at the mention of the word 'Soa' but nodded crisply in agreement to the courteous farewell.

Ricki bowed quickly, but with sincerity. "It has been a pleasure ladies. I hope we meet again under better circumstances. Good luck to you both," he answered with a nod, before turning to three passing boys and issuing the loud, echoing command for an evacuation.

Remona gestured with her head to the doorway, signaling it was time for them both to leave. Liora didn't question her and together they left the underground first, side by side. Once they were above ground and separated from all the noise, Remona turned to her grimly.

"We have a problem," she stated simply in a hurried tone.

"The spirit potion?" Liora guessed, making Remona nod.

"Neither one of us is strong enough yet to hold a transformation for an extended period of time without collapsing at the end. We need to use these potions just to maintain the strength to move, and I for one don't want to even chance being unconscious while we're surrounded by enemies like this and people are counting on us to determine if they live or die. Only one of us can transform, it's too risky otherwise. I'll go," Remona volunteered, "You've already made the transformation once today and I'm the better fighter," she continued, although Liora did notice a strong flicker of what appeared to be doubt behind her sapphire eyes. There were a lot of them, even for an experienced fighter…

"Wait," Liora insisted swiftly. "I'll go. They've already seen me and you ARE the better fighter. You'd do better than me in combat as you are already. And besides, we'd hold the element of surprise if they think there's only one dragoon. That way, if something happens to me, there's still you and you'd still have a chance to work an angle of stealth," Liora reasoned.

Remona groaned. "They saw you? And your transformation? They know—" she started hotly, but then took a deep breath to calm herself. "Never mind. Fill me in later; right now I'm just going to assume it was a dire situation. I suppose the upside to this is that you can transform now. So in light of recent events I can see your point. I agree that you should go. Here, take the potion. I'll be behind you and help you fight them. Just watch yourself, dragoon or no this could still get very ugly very fast," Remona warned strongly.

"We have to make a big enough scene to draw them away from the refugees," Liora reminded.

"We have to find that sorry lot first," Remona remarked with a snort and together they quickly set off for the thick of the woods. It didn't take them long to find what they were looking for. Less than five minutes after Remona had spoken her words, the pair of them crossed paths with the hunting party, headed by Bardel, Ziran, and Aiumi. Liora and Remona halted abruptly behind a cluster of pine trees, and Remona squinted her eyes through the darkness to get a better look.

"Wow, they move fast. But what's that? It looks like, a wingly and a…ninja? What's going on?" Remona whispered, barely audible to even Liora whom was right beside her.

Liora watched the group's motions carefully, ready to spring into action at any tense second. "I'll explain later," Liora replied in an equally silent whisper. "The one in front is General Ziran. He's the one in charge of whatever has been going on in Furni," Liora informed quietly.

"General Ziran? Oh yes, I remember talking about him when we were first going to the church. We should aim to take him out if at all possible. If he's truly in charge, we will be helping ourselves and the people at the same time by getting rid of him," Remona replied in a muted voice.

"I agree," Liora concurred. "But the other two, the wingly and the ninja are going to be a problem. They're just as good as he is. It's going to be extremely difficult to take all three of them on at once not to mention all the guards too," Liora replied cautiously in a hushed whisper.

"They're all that good, huh?" Remona reiterated swiftly. "In that case you'd be right. We can't do this without splitting them up. We're going to have to find a way to get them to scatter in order for this to work," Remona added decisively as she surveyed the situation. "This presents another problem though," Remona added. "I can cause a minor distraction, but if they have a lick of intelligence then they'll all investigate together. I guess we'll just have to hope that in their urgent state to get things done they get a little impatient or cocky and split up anyway," Remona muttered in displeasure. "You ready?" she asked Liora.

Liora could tell that Remona didn't care for this situation at all, but they needed to act soon if they were going to buy the children any sort of time. Liora nodded to Remona in reply and braced herself to transform. She was halted momentarily by a sudden glimmer of silver light somewhere overhead in the treetops. She blinked in surprise; she could have sworn it was the same light she saw earlier.

Remona looked equally interested. "Did you see it too?" she asked in a muted whisper.

Liora nodded again. "Yes. I saw it this morning too. What do you think it could be?" she replied curiously in a hushed voice.

Remona shook her head subtly. "I don't know, but I've been seeing it around as well. Apparently, we're not the only ones. Look," she responded quietly, gesturing to the hunting party. All of them had stopped moving and were looking around keenly.

Ziran said something to Bardel and he flew off to investigate in the direction the silver light had disappeared into. Liora looked to Remona expectantly.

"I have no idea what that was just now, but it's perfect for us. Time for action," Remona declared gratefully.

Liora gave an affirmative nod as Remona slid into the forest shadows behind them. She silently made her way into a position behind the group and when she arrived Liora could hear her make small, deliberate noises: a snap of a twig or the rustling of leaves without a breeze. Liora knew immediately who would notice first and she wasn't disappointed. Aiumi the assassin abandoned the group of elves and headed in Remona's direction immediately. Several of General Ziran's remaining henchmen made to move after her, but he waved them on dismissively.

Liora said a silent prayer and then began executing her part of the plan. Thinking of her mother, Bandie, Queen Theresa, and everyone else that was counting on her built her sense of urgency to the point of overpowering triggering the intense transformation. In a matter of moments, flashing lights, and flying feathers she was a dragoon once more.

As if on cue, she saw several guards started her way immediately, escorting General Ziran whom had a knowingly suspicious look on his face. Liora spotted a large, low-hanging tree branch above the group and it gave her an idea. Liora hadn't used any arrows in her last transformation and was surprised when she reached around for her quiver that there wasn't one. She felt a minor flicker of panic, but then, as if her dragoon spirit could read her mind, she suddenly knew she didn't have a quiver because she didn't need one. Her arrows were made out of light.

Drawing light into herself from her armor and surroundings just as she had done to heal Sarah, she reformed the energy onto her bow and created a beaming, multicolored arrow of light. Aiming true, she shot the tree branch at its base, severing the heavy timber completely. Taken completely by surprise, only General Ziran was able to dodge the massive limb, the rest of his group was crushed instantly flat beneath it. Fate, or at least luck, finally seemed to be working on her side. Now all Liora had to worry about dealing with was General Ziran. She flew effortlessly on top of another tree branch and landed in a crouch in front of the elf General unfurling her luminescent wings to their full extent tauntingly.

"You!" Ziran barked upon seeing her. "Well, I can't say this is entirely unexpected," he added harshly, "Seeing as you purged yourself of my soul snare, dragoon, I knew it was only a matter of time before we crossed paths again. And only a dragoon would dare attempt something like this. You have quite a bit of nerve human, or should I call you Liora?" he sneered.

Liora was taken aback by the fact the Elf General knew her name and it must have showed on her face. He smirked darkly over his mutilated lips.

"Oh yes, that's right. I know your name. I know quite a bit about you actually, like how you want to be a doctor and heal weakened slime that should be condemned to die. I know that your vile mother wants you to be a knight instead and you're on a mission to save you're dying Queen leech. I know almost everything about you," he jeered nastily. "See, that's the only drawback of the soul snare, I'm forced to see every disgusting detail of your minds when I ensnare them. But you are quite the oddity human. I never would have guessed one of your lowly species would actually be strong enough to break free of it. It's actually, dare I say…astonishing and slightly impressive," Ziran began in an odd tone that was starting to send shivers up Liora's spine. "Yes, for a human you are amazing," Ziran added with a strange mixture of disgust and respect at the same time.

"Tell me how that works," Liora snorted sarcastically. "Someone like you might actually respect a human?"

Ziran's sneer turned into a scowl, but then a sly smirk replaced it soon after. "Well, for a human, you're the most troublesome I've yet to cross save that Furni bastard. You infiltrated a complex of highly trained guards completely undetected, killed a battalion of my best scouts, spied on me and the others, rescued a maggot from me, broke out of my soul snare, and managed to escape from me. That's a record unheard of for a roach of your species and not even that Furni bastard has managed that much. He just turned tail and ran from me like a coward, hiding like the insects humans naturally are," Ziran furthered nonchalantly, still with the same paradoxical tone. "I can appreciate competence, and above all else, strength. The Shidari are not above such things. However, there's still one thing that you've yet to show me about yourself human and I would be keenly interested to know," Ziran concluded in a foreboding voice.

"And what's that?" Liora asked suspiciously.

"How well you'd fare against me in actual combat. Seeing as you left in such a hurry last time, perhaps you'd care to indulge me? Care to put your dragoon powers to the test to save your own life, Liora?" he offered darkly, hissing her name and drawing his dagger.

Liora blinked. An elf that despised humans above everything else had just conceded that she was worthy of respect. Now that she thought about it, everything she'd done up until this point was pretty extraordinary. What was more, listening to the General's words, her mind brought up her mother. This must have been what she had seen in Liora all along.

Liora grinned. "You flatter me, General. However if you really know me half as well as you claim, then you'll know that I don't like to fight. I'll have to decline your offer," she replied mockingly.

"There's no escape this time, sunshine," Ziran assured dangerously.

Liora raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Is that so? I can fly, so the sky is my road. If you think you can keep up, you're welcome to try. If you really want to fight, I'm afraid you'll have to catch me first. You see, I'm on a schedule and you're just wasting my time," she taunted and sprang into the air, surprised by the cheekiness in her own voice. She was fairly sure, seeing as how he'd hovered over Sarah, that Ziran could levitate over a decent height so she made sure she stayed just above the treetops as she flew.

She was correct in her assumption. Within moments Ziran had popped up directly behind her, taking her bait and starting the chase. Putting more power behind her wings, Liora increased her speed as she soared toward a patch of thick, low-set clouds to the west. She was going to pull him as far away from the refugees as she could manage. She truly had no other plan beyond that much and she was sincerely hoping that after they'd gone a considerable distance she could somehow lose him. She would use the clouds for cover and hope she didn't become lost herself. The fluffy clouds were just within reach, so she held her own breath tensely as she dove in.

Flying through a cloud was like swimming in a sea of fresh mist, the air was light and wet. Liora had only seen fog a few times in her life, and those had been when she was much younger. Flying through the cloud was fog to its fullest effect and she could barely see, but she flapped on anyway. She managed to find the edge of the cloud and when she looked over her shoulder, she didn't see General Ziran. The fact that she had lost sight of him worried her slightly, but she thought she could still sense him nearby. If she was correct, he was still back in the cloud and couldn't see her either which would be perfect timing. Liora was becoming increasingly fatigued and exhaustion was creeping up on her rapidly.

Liora double-checked her surroundings and when she still couldn't find the elf General she took the opportunity to safely land in the dense forest below and return to her normal state. She fumbled for the spirit potion that had been in the pocket of her original shorts and found it to be there still, much to her relief. She immediately drank the potion before the extreme tiredness could disable her.

After regaining vitality, Liora carefully glanced around her immediate environment. There was still no sign of General Ziran anywhere, which lent merit to the assumption he was still in the clouds overhead. Heartened, Liora quickly started back to the clearing she'd left Remona in, praying for her friend's safety and the safety of the refugees.

Like a demonic omen, the clouds above suddenly burst apart with tremendous force, revealing General Ziran directly overhead. He eyed her manically and Liora cringed. She swiftly drew her bow, trying to formulate a new plan. She hadn't intended to actually fight him, and especially not as her normal self. With the amount of power he'd displayed the first time, Liora knew she'd have to be in dragoon form to even stand a chance and that was out of the question right now. She grimaced and lined an arrow to her bowstring. Though she hadn't, in all honesty, expected escaping for a second time would be easy.

Ziran clicked his tongue. "Tut, tut. Leaving so soon? Why are you in such a rush? I'm beginning to think you don't like me," he goaded in a falsely sweet voice.

Liora groaned as Ziran dove at her from above with his dagger. He had the advantage of high ground momentarily and he was gaining a tremendous amount of speed in his descent. Liora jumped aside, tucking into a roll on the ground to dodge. She recovered just in time to fire her arrow at Ziran's exposed side as he came crashing down.

In an amazing display of agility, General Ziran caught Liora's arrow effortlessly and tossed it to the ground. He drew his dagger into an attack position once more and charged after her. Liora was overcome by Ziran's speed and soon reduced to blocking his melee strikes with her bow and backing away as quickly as she could manage. She needed to put some distance between Ziran and herself. Thinking quickly, she pulled back a portion of her bowstring with her finger and snapped it like a rubber band into the General's face. He hissed and stumbled backwards, giving Liora enough of a gap to seek the cover of a nearby tree.

Liora's heart suddenly dropped into her stomach as an urgent feeling washed over her so powerfully it almost put her onto her knees. This odd sensation appeared to be coming from her dragoon spirit because the pearly white orb seemed to have tripled in weight within her brooch. The feeling was desperate and foreboding and within the mix Liora could clearly feel the pull of a familiar darkness. The white-silver dragoon spirit began to flash rapidly like a distress beacon. Liora understood what it meant with no uncertainty. Remona was in trouble. Severe trouble. But the problem was that she was too. From somewhere or quite possibly nowhere, a monstrous scaly, tan appendage with three purple talons emerged into being. This gargantuan, disembodied hand was just as tall as the tree she was hiding behind and about twice as wide.

The young archer immediately jumped away from the spot she'd been previously occupying as the enormous reptilian arm snatched for her fiercely. Liora retaliated by shooting a crystal arrow into the center of the huge hand's palm. Much to her dismay, the arrowhead shattered upon impact and the remainder of her projectile glanced harmlessly off its demented scales.

Liora felt herself begin to panic. She had to get to Remona immediately, but first she had to somehow escape this gigantic hand from devildom and the evil General that summoned it. Liora had never seen anything like this new horror. The hand didn't appear to be attached to any sort of creature; there was no visible body, just the arm. Strangely, there did seem to be a sort of hole nearby to where Ziran was standing that appeared to be coming from the underground. Liora had to look twice before she realized that the hole was too black to be coming from anything in the earth. It looked as if it were coming from another dimension.

Ziran didn't seem to be the least bit surprised or concerned about this new occurrence, so Liora deduced that he was indeed the source of it. It was definitely unlike any magic she'd ever seen or heard of, even when he'd displayed his true self. If she had to guess, she would have said it was some form of necromancy.

The demonic hand poised itself high as it curved over to strike at her again with talons bared. Liora spotted a nearby boulder and quickly dodged behind it as the hand came crashing down gouging deep trenches in the surface of the solid rock. Her dragoon spirit began to flash violently again as if she actually needed a reminder that Remona was still in danger. The feeling of urgency was becoming overwhelming, but she knew that she couldn't risk transforming again. She'd likely tire too quickly fighting this monster and Ziran or in the worst possible case, she'd actually pass out during the battle.

The blonde teenager tried desperately to think of something else she could do. She couldn't shoot the evil arm; her arrows didn't affect the creature. The only thing she could think of was striking General Ziran. Maybe if she attacked him that would disrupt the spell. Liora boldly ducked out from behind her cover and fired a well-placed arrow aimed to kill. Liora gritted her teeth anxiously as the arrow smashed into an energy shield that the dark elf had somehow erected around himself.

Liora quickly retreated back behind her rock and yelped in terror as a purple claw missed her left side by mere inches. She was out of ideas and almost out of time. She prayed hard, clutching her dragoon spirit as if somehow it could help her. She pleaded inwardly, begging for it to send anyone or anything to lend her assistance like it somehow held the capability to do such a thing. Like an answer from above, the dark sky suddenly erupted with light directly over their area. A few shimmering white sparkles preceded the intense shower of multicolored light beams that danced around the spot, crisscrossing each other in a spectacular and vibrant display of colors.

For a moment, Liora feared that this new occurrence was also a part of Ziran's magic. The fear quickly abated as a purple beam passed over and through her skin leaving only a warm tingle. A green ray of light followed closely behind it and proceeded over Liora harmlessly as well. The same could not be said for the demonic claw. The light seemed to slice it deeply everywhere the rays touched until finally the strange appendage flailed upwards and then shriveled down back into the ebony hole which immediately closed thereafter. Unfortunately for Liora, though General Ziran's shield had short-circuited into oblivion, he himself was unharmed.

Both of them turned to face the source of Liora's rescue. A glint of dazzling white and a beaming purple shine became visible through the dying collaboration of hued lights. Liora recognized this newcomer somehow. They felt familiar. They shared her element of light, but there was something else as well.

"The unicorn!" she whispered aloud in realization when the last of the blinding light had faded away.

The creature stood before them, more magnificent than ever as it tossed its head back defiantly, shaking its royal purple mane. It pawed the ground with one golden hoof as it prepared to charge. The unicorn lowered its head and launched itself fearlessly at Ziran, much to Liora's surprise. She was concerned for it; the last time it had faced Ziran he had injured it badly.

This time though, it seemed like the unicorn held the upper hand. It seemed that Ziran was still recovering from the aftereffects of the dazzling light magic the unicorn had used to destroy his shield. He turned into the unicorn's oncoming charge in a daze and its horn glanced off his left shoulder. He yelled out in pain before going completely stiff for some reason. Ziran's stiff body wobbled dangerously off balance before he fell unceremoniously onto the ground. The unicorn's attack had paralyzed him. The unicorn turned around and cantered then trotted to a stop a few inches from Liora.

"Thank you. Thank you so much! You saved my life just now," Liora breathed in amazement. From the faint traces of the injuries that were still visible, Liora was certain this was the same unicorn she had rescued from Ziran earlier. Somehow, it had found her and it had saved her. Liora looked into the creature's deep silver eyes with gratitude. She knew that if the unicorn could have spoken, it would have declared them even. It turned gracefully and began to walk away back into the forest as Liora's dragoon spirit pulsed powerfully in white flashes. Remona's need was urgent.

Liora stared after the unicorn. Maybe, just maybe, it would help her. "Wait. Please wait. Don't leave," she called out both softly and desperately.

The creature did indeed seem to understand human language. It stopped and curiously turned its head to look at her quizzically. It seemed intrigued most of all by her dragoon spirit, which was wrapping rays of light out around its own.

"Thank you again for saving me, but I have to ask you for your help one more time. You are the only one who can help me. My friend is in deep trouble and I have no way to get to her. It's an emergency! Please will you help me and take me to her?" Liora pleaded sincerely.

The unicorn blinked and for a moment it just stood there blandly, it appeared to be considering to itself. Then, as if it were an everyday occurrence the unicorn calmly walked back over to Liora's side and sank into a kneeling position on its front knees to offer her a way to climb onto its back. Liora didn't question it any further, she climbed on without delay. Her mother had given her a few riding lessons before, so she wasn't a complete stranger to horseback. However Liora knew it would be ignorant and disrespectful to assume or associate a unicorn with a regular horse. Once she was situated the unicorn returned to its full height and looked back at her expectantly.

"That way," Liora advised, pointing eastward.

Without warning, the unicorn sprinted into a sheer run that was faster than anything Liora had ever experienced. It was definitely an amazing occurrence in and of itself, full of its own wonder and magic. It was like they had somehow jumped into the speed of light, objects became only blurs of color as they passed and the wind whipped over them as if the sky were on the ground. Liora inhaled deeply with amazement. And she thought she could fly. If she could fly, then this unicorn could soar. What an astonishing creature, Liora thought to herself. It could heal itself and others, combat powerful enemies, and could move faster than anything else in the world. How incredible.

Liora suddenly shivered involuntarily as she thought about what Ziran had said to her a little while ago. He viewed her apparently in much the same way for the same reasons. Maybe she and the unicorn weren't really that different after all and that was why they had been drawn together. The unicorn was also exceptionally beautiful to Liora. The thought caused Liora to grimace as the former associations of Ziran came back into her mind. Liora had to admit, the elf General's shift in attitude was unnerving. Something told her that his respect for her as an adversary was a superficial cover for something else. Respect would not cause someone who hated humans as blatantly as he did to speak such words.

The unicorn neighed softly to her after a few minutes, signaling that they were probably drawing near. Her dragoon spirit sparked with a reaffirming flash. Liora thought vaguely about drawing her bow, but then decided against it. She couldn't shoot effectively from the unicorn's back and they were moving way too fast. Liora could feel the unicorn's muscles start to relax beneath her knees and could tell that they were about to slow down. Seconds later, the unicorn slowed to a canter and their surroundings came back into focus. It didn't take Liora long to hear the telltale signs of an intense struggle. Metal was grating against metal and there was a pained outcry from somewhere nearby. Liora recognized the voice as Remona's.

A dark figure stumbled in the woods in front of them as another black outline leapt through the air into view. As they moved forward, the luminescent glow from the unicorn's immaculate fur revealed the stumbling figure to be a very battered Remona Nightlark. She was covered in deep bruises and cuts which bled steadily. In fact, blood splattered and stained most of her clothing and Liora noticed grimly that most of it was her own. Remona was struggling to hold her sword, let alone stand, but she was still alive and still fighting.

The figure in front of Remona was Aiumi and she looked much better off. She was also covered in Remona's blood, hard though that was to see on her black attire. The only visible injuries the assassin was sporting seemed to be two deep cuts on her right arm and a small one on her jaw. On the other hand, the silver pole-staff she was using needed some serious repair and looked like it might not deflect many more blows without breaking.

Liora heard Aiumi laugh harshly, in her battle frenzy she'd yet to notice the new arrivals. Remona slouched as she faced her opponent, but held her sword defiantly at ready. The ninja leapt into the air again, poised to deliver a devastating blow.

"There she is! Hurry please!" Liora urged the unicorn. She knew Aiumi was fast, but the unicorn was undoubtedly faster.

The unicorn surged forward in a blink and pulled up next to Remona. Liora seized the back of Remona's shirt and pulled her up onto the unicorn's back as best as she was able. The unicorn didn't stick around; it jolted unexpectedly forward before Liora had gotten a stunned Remona firmly into a steady place. She and Remona slid several inches to the left before they were able to finally right themselves.

Liora pulled Remona in front of herself as the unicorn gave a final lurch forward into its super speed. Liora checked over her shoulder and saw Aiumi land and hurl something silver-glinted at them that fell incredibly short as they fled at top speed. The ninja faded rapidly into the distance. Something warm and wet plinked onto the arm Liora was holding onto Remona with. Her left bracer was stained with a few splotches of scarlet blood.

"Remona, are you alright?" she found herself asking stupidly. Of course she wasn't alright. If she was, she wouldn't have been injured like this. "Never mind," Liora apologized sheepishly before she could reply. She didn't have to ask, like before light from the unicorn's body washed onto Remona's body and into her injuries as the unicorn continued to run. Liora wasn't sure if it was just because of their proximity to the creature or actual intent, but Remona's more serious wounds closed and faded, though some of the injuries still remained.

Remona straightened herself sorely and shifted in Liora's grip though she said nothing. Maybe she was still too shocked to completely register what was going on or maybe she was in awe of the unicorn's healing magic. Whatever the case, she seemed to be in a much better state now than she was a second ago. Remona inhaled deeply and looked around as the unicorn came to a halt. Both of them dismounted and when Remona caught her first glimpse of what they had been riding her expression foretold she might actually fall over.

"Is that?" she asked, stunned.

"Yes," Liora answered simply, but politely. In her pain-induced haze Remona had probably struggled to recognize it was Liora rescuing her and not another enemy attacking her, let alone that they had been riding a unicorn.

Remona stood rooted to the spot in awe, just as Liora had been the first time she saw the unicorn's beauty. As if someone had given her a harsh command to snap out of it, Remona shook her head strongly, then sheathed her sword that she had been clinging to desperately.

"Wow," she managed at last. "A unicorn! How did you—"she breathed as she reached out a bloodied hand to touch it.

The unicorn hastily backed away from Remona's stained hand and pranced backwards with a finicky attitude. It clearly did not want to be touched by her for some odd reason and snorted nervously as it eyed her. Liora heard the sound of running water and turned to see the clear river behind them. A dull shimmer could be seen in the moonlight beneath the water that continued from the middle of the river all the way up to the waterfall which had been set into a hillside. Liora squinted in the dim lighting, but realized that the sparkles were actually underwater crystals. This must have been the Crystalline Waterfall Ricki had spoken of. It was too much of a coincidence. Liora looked to the unicorn, astonished.

"How did you know?" she asked it in amazement.

"How did it know what?" Remona asked dubiously.

"Where to take us. Remona this is—" Liora started.

"The Crystalline Waterfall. I know. You're saying you didn't tell her where to go?" Remona asked skeptically.

Liora glanced at her oddly. "Her?"

"Yes. This unicorn is female, can't you tell?" Remona answered casually.

Liora blinked. "There wasn't time. No, I didn't tell her where to go. I think she just knew somehow. I'm connected to her for some reason, but that's a story for another time. What about you? I'm glad you're okay. When I felt you call for help, I thought for sure I wasn't going to make it in time. What happened? Do you think we bought enough time for the refugees?" Liora asked eagerly.

Remona rubbed a bruise on her arm and downcast her eyes in embarrassment. "I'll ask about that story later then. Yes, I think we gave the refugees a decent enough head start. But we need to continue with the distraction. For phase two to be successful we need to get into Furni. We'll need to draw them to us there. As for me—" she began reluctantly.

A sudden earthquake rattled the surrounding area and knocked both girls and the unicorn off their feet.

"What was that? Earthquakes are very rare around here. I wonder what caused—" another violent quake rocked the ground before Liora could finished her sentence either.

The unicorn was the first to regain her feet. Once she had, she began frantically pacing and prancing in a defensive stance. The unicorn was acting as if they were going to be attacked again at any moment. Liora knew from her behavior that something alive had to be the cause of these earthquakes, possibly another creature. She returned to her own feet and walked over to help Remona, whom refused the assistance.

"Why bother? I don't think it's over yet," Remona replied irritably as she braced herself onto her knees.

"What do you think is going on?" Liora inquired as she braced herself on the ground as well, following Remona's example.

Remona cringed in pain as she rubbed a newly-formed scab on her left leg. "I have a guess, but I sincerely hope I'm wrong," she groaned.

No sooner had she spoken than did the ground beneath them give another violent pitch. This one was so severe that all three of them were thrown off the ground and backwards into the middle of the deep creek. As they resurfaced, Liora realized the current was sucking them downstream away from the waterfall. She knew how to swim, but she wasn't sure if Remona did or even could in her condition.

Remona splashed around awkwardly in the water, struggling against the powerful current as Liora looked over. The unicorn swam up to Liora's side; evidently it wasn't having any trouble at all. She offered her neck to Liora and the young archer grabbed hold with one hand before reaching out and grabbing Remona with the other.

"We need to go underneath the waterfall," Liora informed as she leaned into the unicorn's silky mane. She was about to say something else, but a loud, shrill roar caused her to scrunch up tightly. When Liora looked up, she could clearly see what looked like a monstrously overgrown, petrified trent stomping around in a distant patch the forest somewhere to their right. It was so large that even though it wasn't in their immediate vicinity, she had no trouble spotting it above the timberline. It matched the refugees' description of the monster that had attacked Furni perfectly.

Liora shivered tensely, and it had nothing to do with the water or being cold. That monster was gargantuan…..

Remona looked equally shocked. "I'm not seeing this," she muttered in disbelief with her own definite sense of unease thrown in.

"The refugees!" Liora breathed in terror.

Remona managed to shake her soaking-wet head. "No. It's not after them. I can _feel_ it," she assured.

Liora was calmed by Remona's statement. Inexplicably, she knew it was true. She could feel it as well. But her gut told her something else as well and that sent a cold dread washing over her entire body. "It's after—"

"Us," Remona affirmed stiffly. "Just what exactly did you do to that elf?" she added sarcastically after a moment.

Liora couldn't help but grin. "Probably no more than you did to that ninja. I barely touched him; he just has a major attitude."

Remona sighed shamefully. "I hope you did better than I did, it was disgraceful," she grimaced. "I was sure I was going to have to transform and blow the secret to save my own ass for a moment there before you showed up."

"But you didn't have to," Liora replied with optimism.

"No. And that's one of the only things that has gone right for me these last couple of days," Remona retorted somewhat irritably as they passed underneath the waterfall becoming drenched solidly once more. "Let's just hurry up and find that door before that thing finds us," she finished nonchalantly, wiping water from her face with her hand.

Once they were solidly onto dry ground, Liora rummaged through her dampened gear to find a dry match to light the candles she had brought for emergency illumination. To her dismay, everything had been solidly soaked.

"Remona do you have a dry match or a piece of flint or—" Liora began, but before she could fully complete her request a silver light illuminated the small cavern. It was coming from the horn of the unicorn mare.

"Thanks," Liora giggled playfully.

The unicorn responded with a light nudge to Liora's shoulder with her nose as Remona found the large, damp trap door concealed under a mossy rock and opened it with some difficultly. The tunnel below looked spacious enough for all of them to walk in comfortably, so Remona and Liora climbed down. Even the unicorn jumped nimbly down into the roomy passage with them.

"She's coming with you, I guess?" Remona asked interestedly as she eyed the glowing unicorn.

"It looks that way," Liora affirmed as she looked to her new friend. "She could have left us at the river."

"Why would she want to follow us?" Remona asked, confused.

"We're connected," Liora answered simply. It was an answer that she knew to be the truth, no matter how odd.

Liora pulled Ricki's dripping map from her pocket and looked it over with a small frown. Most of the markings were miraculously still intact, but a few had definitely washed away, including one of the passageways they needed to take to get to their destination.

"It's smudged," Liora explained to Remona simply when she looked over her shoulder. "But I think I can still get us there," she announced with confidence.

"Good. Then let's get moving," Remona encouraged.

"This way," Liora said and with her unicorn friend at her side, she led the way.

Back in the forest the lumbering guardian came to a halt for the small figure at the base of its enormous feet. General Ziran was impatient and unhappy to say the least.

"WELL?" he shouted furiously at the subservient monster.

The towering creature replied with a low rumble that shook the surrounding earth. Through the vibrations, the General had managed to keep his feet.

Ziran scowled. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO! WHAT GOOD ARE YOU THEN? YOU INCOMPETENT HIDEOUS MASS OF WALKING DRIFTWOOD! THIS MAKES FOUR OF THEM YOU LET ESCAPE!" he bellowed, infuriated.

The guardian didn't pay him any heed as he continued to screech his insults at it, which only served to fuel General Ziran's ire. He savagely kicked a nearby tree, splintering a hole in the wood as Bardel landed nearby.

"Well?" Ziran snapped, rounding on him too.

Bardel shook his head. "Nothing."

"They're gone," Aiumi announced plainly. "They have in fact, as you said, escaped."

"GONE! THEY'RE HUMANS DAMN IT! THEY CAN'T JUST DISAPPEAR! FIND THEM!" Ziran thundered irately.

Aiumi scowled crossly herself. "Like yelling will help. I must say General your performances are getting steadily worse," she taunted. "That girl was a half pint of nothing and you still let her get away."

"SHE IS A DRAGOON!" he roared in fury.

"What, are you afraid of dragons now, General? I thought you were under the impression that you could defeat anyone, especially a human girl," she jeered further.

Bardel frowned deeply, though he snorted sarcastically. "You're one to talk, human garbage. It looks like your prey got away from you as well _assassin_. You're not up to par either."

Aiumi glowered at him dangerously. "I would have finished her, but your dragoon came thundering through there so fast the only thing she could have been riding was a unicorn."

Bardel and Ziran exchanged knowing glances.

"The unicorn…." Ziran muttered and then suddenly burst out laughing sourly and clapped as he faced the open forest. "Impressive human! Impressive!" he yelled bitterly to the open air. "Make no mistake," he started coldly as he turned to his gathered associates, "I will get even. She can't run forever and when I catch up to her she will be mine!"

"I hate to rain on your parade boys, but I'm afraid your boss has hired me for a purpose other than fixing your bungle-ups. He paid me to annihilate the warriors from Rogue tracking down and interfering with your interests. But don't worry, I'll be back to finish the dragoon and her companion when I'm done with them. Knowing you two, they'll still be here," she goaded with a mocking laugh before jumping into the treetops and disappearing into the night shadows.

Bardel watched her go with a disdainful scowl. "We get to slit her throat when we're through, right?" he asked nastily.

Ziran's lip curled as he answered, though his tone was full of relish. "Most definitely. She's human and will be exterminated like the roach she is when she's outlived her usefulness."

"I'm putting her on my personal list next to the Zanums," Bardel snarled. "Speaking of which, I've got matters of my own to attend to. You'll be hearing from me soon," he assured darkly as he flew away.

Moments passed in silence as one of Ziran's lieutenants approached him. "Sir," he began crisply.

"What is it now?" the General snarled.

"We searched the sight top to bottom, we couldn't find a single human," he announced regrettably.

Ziran clenched his first so hard his own nails began digging into his skin. "Is that so?" he asked, trying to contain his seething rage as his entire body trembled.

"Yes sir. Someone must have warned them. While we didn't find any humans, we did find a campsite that was vacated in a hurry. It's likely that they're headed to Deningrad," the underling deduced.

"It was her…." Ziran whispered in silent rage, more to himself than anything as blood started to leak down his pale skin from his hand.

"Sir?" the lieutenant asked hesitantly.

"It was her! She's the only one who could have done this! She was distracting me so those maggots could run without our notice!" he hissed dangerously.

"Are you talking about the dragoon sir?" the lieutenant continued awkwardly.

"WHO ELSE WOULD I BE TALKING ABOUT RAZAITH?" Ziran hollered obsessively.

"Sir, if I may," Lieutenant Razaith began slowly. "Why didn't you kill her when you had the chance? You're his majesty's top General; surely you could have taken her out quickly. Sir, I'm going out on a limb here, but I think you were playing with her from what I heard," he concluded boldly.

Ziran chuckled dryly. "Would you like to know a secret, Razaith?" he asked darkly.

"Sir?" he responded curiously.

"You're right, Lieutenant. I was playing with her. I don't know why, because she is a human, but I am most fascinated by this Liora Deluvare. You want to know something else, Lieutenant?" he added plainly to his stunned henchman, "I don't think I'm going to kill her when I catch her. At least not immediately. I plan to have a little fun first," he concluded with a twisted smile.

"General Ziran, are you feeling well Sir? This girl is a human…such an obsession can't be healthy…" Lieutenant Razaith mumbled in total surprise. "You out of all of us…."

"I have a feeling that my mood is about to improve significantly, Razaith," Ziran assured with the same twisted smile still in place.

"Why's that Sir?" Razaith asked quietly, thinking every bit that his General had lost his mind to desire a human.

"Because I'll tell you another secret, Lieutenant. You're easily replaceable and failure is punishable by death under my command. I'm going to make an example of you so the others will step up their motivations," he replied sinisterly and gestured to the gargantuan guardian he'd been given his king's command over.

A horrified expression was the last thing Lieutenant Razaith was able to accomplish before he was flattened underneath the Shihidar's root-like toes. The guardian merely lingered for moments afterward gapping at General Ziran stupidly.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!" Ziran snapped to it in a hostile manner. He thought that killing his insubordinate commander would have relieved some of the stress, but he was mistaken. Now that meant he had to go find Bolfen and give him the order to chase down and exterminate the Furni vermin himself.

"Get back to work!" he demanded the Shihidar guardian crossly and he stormed away to give the commands to his underlings. Seeing as what had just happened to their former superior, he knew he'd get results from them more quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Sorry for the long delay guys, life is happening along with more travel. Enjoy =)

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon or any of the original characters or concepts. All copyrights are still in effect and property of Sony Entertainment.

Shae's Dilemma

"Check it out you guys! That's Flower Top Rock!" Meru Zanum pointed out to her family excitedly as they passed by.

The rest of her family followed her eager gaze and stared at what just looked like another, plain and boring rock to Shae. She sighed. She had absolutely no idea how her mother could distinguish that particular rock from any other one in the forest because they all looked identical.

Baby Zachary giggled giddily from his papoose on Meru's back in response to his mother's jovial mood before she plunged into a lengthy and animated tale about the rock's significance that Janna and Mitzy where listening to interestedly. The story bored Shae, whom had heard it at least a dozen times before. It seemed to be a tradition, every time they left the forest her mother would talk for what seemed like hours about random things they would walk by. She had to admit though; it was unusual for Janna and Mitzy to be so attentive to anything. Shae guessed that they were so excited because, as they kept reminding everyone every few minutes, this was their first 'real' trip anywhere outside the forest. They had of course taken an outside vacation when they were much younger, but the two of them had been too young to remember it. Shae felt herself smile as she recalled the trip. She had been ten years old and her parents had taken them to a beautiful place full of flowers in a neighboring country. It had been called Donau, or something like that.

Shae found herself wistfully whishing that Donau was their destination instead of Fueno. Fueno was uninteresting to Shae, she'd been there before and found almost everything mundane and ordinary. However, at present, any place was better than staying in the forest with Bardel and his band of cronies. The young wingly would never admit it to anyone aloud, but their previous encounter had frightened her badly. Demons, some dark king, Bardel threatening to kill their family and trying to make good on that promise, and especially him trying to convert her to his disgusting way of thinking was freaking her out, Shae thought to herself. Somewhere in the web of unpleasant thoughts, Shae couldn't help but wonder if she'd endangered her family more by discovering what Bardel had in store for them or if she had saved them.

Shae blew a displeased breath through her lips; she hated thinking about serious or dangerous things but she just couldn't help it. All the thoughts of Bardel and his lackeys plagued Shae's mind in an irritating circle and it was starting to make her antsy both physically and mentally. Shae grappled roughly against the memory of the other night as it came back into her head for what seemed to be the thousandth time and she finally overpowered it with the resolve to think about something else that was much nicer.

_What about Janel? Oh he's so….Wait. He's one of Bardel's goons too. He tried to hurt my sisters_, Shae reminded herself miserably. Austin seemed to be sharing her discomfort as well.

"Are we there yet? My feet hurt," he complained as he temporarily stopped walking to rub the top of his left foot through his cloth shoe.

Janna laughed and zoomed past him on her translucent blue wings. "Cry baby."

"Yeah, you wouldn't be near as tired if you could fly. You're slowing us down, slowpoke," Mitzy agreed and was about to add something else when a disapproving look from Guaraha silenced them both.

Despite the interference of their father, Austin's eyes began to well up with tears. He hated not being able to fly and that made his sister's taunts even worse.

Shae gave him a lighthearted grin. "Hey, you can ride on my back if you're tired. I don't mind carrying ya," she offered kindly.

Austin sniffled and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand. "Really? Thanks Shae, you're the best!" he exclaimed gratefully as she hoisted him up on her back between her shoulders.

"Yep! I know," she responded cheerfully in spite of Janna and Mitzy's gagging noises.

Guaraha gave them another reproachful glare. "Girls, I mean it!" he reprimanded sternly.

"Yes dad," they droned in unison before sharing a mischievous glance between them. Guaraha sighed as he watched them.

For the most part, the next couple hours of the trip were as uneventful as ever. Shae was so bored that she had taken to humming and skipping, though it was slightly more difficult than usual with Austin on her back. It was nearing noon and time was dragging by with painstaking slowness when they finally decided to stop for lunch. Shae groaned because stopping was only going to delay the trip longer.

"So, who's hungry? I'm starving! Anyway, what a cool place to sit. It's got beautiful flowers and shade and it's really comfortable! Guaraha, we should totally rest here!" Meru exclaimed as she hopped lightly into the shade of a nearby tree and twirled around gracefully.

Baby Zackary shrieked with laughter. "N, mommy N!"

Meru grinned playfully at him over her shoulder. "Sure thing! Anything for my zacky-wacky! Especially dancing! It is so totally fun! Hey girls, did you know that your momma was- and still is-a famous dancer? Yep, that's me-Pretty Dancer Meru!" she chimed happily and pirouetted around on the tips of her toes once more.

"Yeah mom, you've got to be the best dancer around!" Mitzy proclaimed.

"I don't know about that Meru," Guaraha teased lightly, "Shae's pretty good too. You might want to watch your back."

Meru grinned at her oldest daughter. "Good point, but where do you think she got it from silly?" she retorted.

Shae smiled with her father's compliment and took a seat in the shade next to Austin as Meru began handing out the meals they'd packed. Perhaps it was her nerves, because Shae usually ate as much as a fully grown mountain ape, but today she simply wasn't hungry at all. As she sat on the forest floor and watched her family munch idly away at their meals, Shae began to fidget noticeably. She was eager to keep moving, for some odd reason she had an urgent feeling nagging at the back of her mind. The weird urgency was suddenly coupled with the paranoid feeling that they were being watched. Shae was immediately very uncomfortable and wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to just sit still.

Maybe it was just her, Shae thought to herself. Everyone else was completely oblivious to the anxious feeling Shae was experiencing. The rest of her family was talking, laughing, and eating like they would normally when nothing was wrong. Shae wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. It was an unusually warm afternoon, even in the shade of the trees. It was kind of weird to Shae, because the sun wasn't visible at all through the trees and their surroundings weren't excessively bright. In truth, Shae secretly thought that if anything, the forest had somehow taken on a darker and more menacing feel.

Shae sighed heavily, letting her tense shoulders sag. There she went again. She decided that she was just plain paranoid. If something major was happening, Bardel or no Bardel, then Ancestor Blano would know and he would have told the rest of the winglies. Nothing had ever escaped the Ancestor's notice before, so how could an idiot like Bardel manage it? Not to mention that the Ancestor had a special fondness for her mother and the rest of their family. Shae didn't completely understand why the Ancestor seemed to favor them; she guessed it had everything to do with her mother and possibly something to do with her being a dragoon. With that thought, Shae knew the Ancestor would never let something purposely bad happen to them.

These thoughts brought Shae a momentary measure of peace, but it wasn't enough to calm her enough to eat. She stared blankly down at the apple in her hand as she turned it over absentmindedly. It wasn't long before her uncharacteristic silence was noticed.

"Hey, what's the matter with you, Shae?" Janna asked her suddenly, leaning over Mitzy's head to get a better view of her older sister.

"No kidding. You're usually louder than both of us combined and you're not eating," Mitzy exclaimed with mild surprise.

Guaraha snorted. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. Shae's definitely quieter than the pair of you. But they're right about one thing," he added, turning to Shae, "You usually eat as much as your mother, if not more," he replied in a gentle concern.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Meru exclaimed somewhat defensively.

"That you eat alot?" Janna laughed humorously.

"Don't worry mom, you still have your figure," Mitzy agreed with a mirthful giggle.

Meru shot them a playful, yet defiant glare.

"You're still beautiful no matter how old you are momma," Austin added sweetly.

"Uh, can anyone say GAG!" Mitzy remarked aloud teasingly.

Meru grinned mischievously, not unlike Janna or Mitzy would have done themselves. "I'm glad you think so Austin! I think momma might give you a raise in your allowance. You're so sweet."

Janna and Mitzy's jaws dropped simultaneously as they gawked in unfairness. Guaraha chuckled at the sight and so did Shae before he turned back to her, bringing up the previous issue.

"Are you alright Shae? You do seem a little nervous for some reason," her father asked gently.

Shae shrugged, trying to play it cool and not let her father see how disturbed she really was. As far as Shae knew, what had happened with Bardel the other night was still a mystery to him. If her mother hadn't told him already, Shae sure as Mayfil wasn't going to. _It would ruin the entire vacation and totally freak him out if he doesn't already know_, Shae assured herself inwardly.

"I'm fine dad. Just tired I guess. Janna and Mitzy where really loud last night," she admitted with a mostly true statement.

Guaraha looked at her skeptically, unconvinced.

"Okay, fine. You caught me. Maybe I'm just excited. It's been a long time since we had a real vacation," Shae tried again, giving her dad what she hoped would be a convincing smile. "You know me dad, I get all fidgety n' stuff when I get excited. It's hard for me to sit still," she added truthfully, though excitement was far from the real reason she was jumpy now.

Guaraha nodded simply. "Yes, that's true. And it has been a while. It will be good to get away for a few days. Maybe on our anniversary your mother and I can visit the hot springs," he added with a relaxed smile coming to his face.

_It will be good to get away._

Those words rang in Shae's ears loud and clear like a tower full of bells and she couldn't help it when the thoughts of Bardel returned to her mind. He had said it himself that this wasn't over. What was worse, Shae knew that Bardel wasn't going to be forgetting about her or her family any time soon. Shae had a sudden horrifying thought. What happened if he realized they were gone and came after them? It would be really good if they could get away. And soon.

Ignorant to the terrified expression on his oldest daughter's face, Guaraha watched Meru contentedly as she finished spoon-feeding baby Zackery what looked like mashed plums. "Hey Meru, I think we should probably continue on soon. If we do we'll have time to stop in Furni and enjoy the sights before we go," he suggested.

Meru nodded at him with bright eyes. "That's totally cool by me Guaraha. It'll mean more fun before we get on the boat and maybe we can even take everybody in one of the glass-bottomed canal tours," she agreed optimistically.

Within the next few minutes the Zanum family was on the move again the same as before with Austin and Shae bringing up the rear. Time passed just as sluggishly as before, but Shae's eerie feeling didn't disappear. Several times she thought she saw something in the shadows of the trees or directly behind them, but each time she turned around fully to check there was nothing there.

Austin finally looked down at his sister curiously from where he rode piggyback the fourth time she turned around. "Shae, what is it? Are you sure you're okay? I can walk if you're getting tired of carrying me," he offered meekly.

Shae gave her brother's knees as reassuring squeeze. "Nah, you're completely fine where you are. And I'm fine. In fact, I'm great! I just wanted to do something different ya know? It's so boring looking in front of you all the time! So I thought it would be cool and a big time challenge if I could look behind me and walk forward at the same time. It builds coordination!" she replied with an awkward tone in her voice as she tried to be enthusiastic. Shae felt guilty for not telling him the truth, but she didn't want to scare him.

Austin gave her a confused expression. "Okay," he said hesitantly. "If you say so, Shae," he answered questioningly.

"What, do you think your hip big sister can't do it? It's totally fun and easy for me! See," Shae protested, checking her surroundings once more as she turned around. A sincere smile started to creep onto her face. She was starting to act and sound just like her mother, which was saying something good. Of all the people in her life, Shae loved and admired her mother the most.

Austin laughed when Shae nearly walked into Guaraha's back while she was preoccupied and she had to bend over awkwardly to stop her momentum before she bumped into him.

Guaraha turned around and eyed her oddly. "What are you doing Shae?" he asked in an amused voice as he watched her regain her proper balance.

Shae grinned sheepishly. "Just goofing off, dad. All these rocks n' stuff really throw my balance off ya know?"

Guaraha chuckled good-naturedly and said something in reply that Shae didn't hear. She was too distracted by a figure she spotted in a tree directly behind him. She thought she could make out traces of a pale, humanoid face in the shadows before the figure disappeared. Unable to suppress it, Shae let out a startled yelp.

"Dad! There's someone up there!" she squeaked with an inward tension building.

Guaraha turned around in confusion to stare at the spot Shae was pointing to.

"They've been following us this whole time!" Shae continued in a gulp with panic starting to build in her chest.

"There's nothing there, Shae," her father answered calmly, though with a perplexed look on his face.

Shae blinked and realized that her father was right. There was nothing in that spot now, but Shae was almost positive there had been a second ago. "They were just there a second ago!" she insisted strongly. Shae would be the first one to admit that she was worried and nervous, but that was definitely not enough to make her hallucinate.

Without another word, Guahara flew up to the tree in question and parted the thickened branches and leaves aside with his arms. There was nothing there except a mother bluebird sitting on her nest. The irate bird chirped angrily upon the intrusion.

Guaraha chuckled softly. "Is this your missing person, Shae?" he teased gently as he slowly replaced the foliage back around the nest as it had been before.

Shae sighed. Maybe it was really just her mind…

Guaraha touched back down gently and ruffled Shae's hair affectionately. "See, it was just a bird. Nothing to get upset over," he assured calmly. "I have to say you've got a keen eye Shae, to be able to see something that small up that high. Are you sure you're okay? Maybe we should institute an earlier bedtime if this is how you're going to behave. It did sound like you guys were up really late last night. All of you," Guaraha furthered, looking around at Janna and Mitzy. Both of them had fallen oddly silent. Shae didn't need to be a genius or a mind reader to know that they were both reliving their experiences with Bardel too.

Seeing as silence was something Janna and Mitzy never normally engaged in, Guahara became that much more concerned. He blinked slowly as his gaze moved between his three daughters. "Did I miss something? Did something happen last night?" he asked directly to them. "You three have been acting VERY strange, especially you, Shae. So does anyone want to fill me in?" he asked deductively.

Shae chose to look at her feet and study her silky shoes instead of at her father. Janna and Mitzy where equally as reluctant to speak. Shae had no idea what she should say, fortunately, Meru intervened.

"Well—it was totally uncool Guahara, but I had to ground them! Me! Their mother! That's supposed to be your job—pretty dancer Meru doesn't like to yell at her kids. They were all up way too late and they wouldn't go to sleep, so I had to make a point somehow, right? My guess is that they'll think twice before sneaking out—I mean—oops!" Meru blurted suddenly and covered her mouth quickly, having accidentally let their secret slip.

Guahara stared at Meru disbelievingly for a moment before turning to his daughters. "What! Did I hear that right? You three snuck out of the house last night! What were you doing? Better yet, where were you going and what were you thinking?" he reprimanded angrily, suddenly becoming furious with them.

Shae grimaced. She didn't want to be the only one in trouble, but she knew her father would likely go easier on her if she claimed responsibility than he would be on Janna or Mitzy. After all, that was a big sister's job, even when your siblings were being brats. She opened her mouth to confess, casting a furtive glance at her two sisters. Shae received the shock of a lifetime when Janna and Mitzy actually owned up to their actions for the first time that Shae could remember.

"It was our fault, dad. Me and Janna snuck out to go get Austin's blanket that we hid from him in the park earlier yesterday," Mitzy admitted.

"Yeah. We felt awful afterwards when we saw him cry like he did," Janna confessed. "Shae saw us and followed us to make sure we didn't get hurt," she added returning Shae's glance out of the corner of her eye. Apparently, neither of them had forgotten that Shae saved their lives.

Guahara frowned deeply and shook his head. "Well, it doesn't matter what your intentions were, what you two did was wrong in the first place and you only added to it by sneaking out in the middle of the night. Going out at night alone is never a good idea, even in our forest," he lectured sternly.

_Especially in our forest,_ Shae agreed internally as her father started to verbally discipline her as well.

"And you, Shae! You especially are old enough to know better! You could have simply come and gotten your mother or myself. No, I think you three definitely deserve to be grounded and I'm very disappointed in you. When we get home—" he continued in a paternal huff.

"—oh lighten up Guaraha! At least nothin' happened to them! Besides, we're on vacation and you don't yell on a vacation! It makes ya all tense n' stuff," Meru placated.

Guahara sighed. "I know, but…"

Meru gave him a pouting look in protest.

"I guess you're right," he conceded after a moment. "At least you girls are safe and nothing happened. That's what really matters. I know I must seem like an old stiff and that sneaking out is more or less minor, but although I hate to admit it there are certain characters in our forest…especially Bardel's son, that rub me the wrong way," he insisted, though it brought a close to his fatherly lectures. As soon as he'd spoken the words, Guahara's entire family, save baby Zack gave him an ironic look. "Well, let's just put this on a shelf for right now and keep going," he finished.

As they all started walking again Meru lingered off to the side until she and Shae were walking together. "Austin, go up there with your dad, I wanna have some girl talk with Shae please," she instructed politely. The young boy nodded as Shae put him down and jogged to join Guahara at his side. When he was gone, Shae shot her mother a betrayed glance.

"What are ya lookin' at me like that for? I didn't mean to and besides, lying to Guahara is completely uncool! It makes me feel awful!" Meru protested.

Shae sighed sympathetically. "Yeah, I know."

"So, what's your problem, you buggin' out over Bardel?" Meru asked knowingly once the rest of the family was a decent distance ahead of them.

Shae shrugged but as she did, the gesture turned into more of a sagging of her shoulders. "I guess you could say that. Mom, why didn't the Ancestor help us if he knew we were in trouble? And, if Bardel is so bad why hasn't the Ancestor kicked him out?" Shae asked in worry.

Meru shrugged herself, but there was a certain uncharacteristic tension in her movement. Meru didn't answer her directly for a moment, but when she did her voice was not filled with her usual peppiness.

"It's strange, but you're totally right Shae. I was wondering the same thing. What happened should have been enough to make the Ancestor appear on the spot. It was almost like he couldn't sense it or somethin', but how an idiot like Bardel would be able to get under Ancestor Blano's nose is a big time mystery! He said you were spying on him from what I heard. What did ya hear? It had to have been important for him to risk attacking you like that. Shae," Meru said in a serious voice, which was an unusual thing for the normally spunky wingly, "What aren't you tellin' me?"

Shae's breath caught in her throat as she started to answer. "Yeah, you can definitely say it was important. Mom, I think….I think maybe Bardel is plotting against the Ancestor," she squeaked in one breath and then plunged into a detailed account of what had happened yesterday afternoon. Apart from the occasional blink, Meru listened intently without interrupting.

"And you know how I said they were talking about necessities, keys, and people?" Shae blurted out at last, "They said their names. Mom, they said they were after Mr. Dart and Mrs. Shana!" The wingly teenager fell immediately silent after she had finished the last bit, although she felt a tremendous relief having told someone. The terrifying secret had been like a balloon in her chest about to burst.

Meru, whom had begun to look increasingly concerned as her daughter's story progressed, stared at her pointedly and deadly serious. There was no playful laughter or quirky cheerfulness on her mother's face now and that scared Shae. She'd never seen her mother look at her like this before.

"They said what!" Meru suddenly asked sharply. "Oh no they don't! If you just heard—we've gotta warn everybody! The Ancestor, Dart, and Shana! This is serious Shae! I don't know who this Nvernias is or what Bardel is doing, but nobody, and I mean NOBODY messes with my friends! Especially not Dart and Shana! We've got to go back to the forest! Now! GUAHARA!" Meru called in an obnoxiously loud voice getting his attention in an instant, "We have to go home! Right now!"

Guahara questioned her with a look and signaled for the rest of the children to stay where they were. He flew over to her urgently instead of walking.

"But mom, Bardel is in the forest! He might try somethin' else!" Shae admitted in fear as her father entered into earshot.

"Bardel? Shae, what—" he began in utter concern.

"We have to go back to the forest Guahara! Dart and Shana are in trouble! The Ancestor can teleport somebody—oh come on! I'll explain everything on the way back; we have no time to lose!" Meru piped urgently and grabbed her husband's arm.

"Oh, I don't think so. The only one who will be explaining anything is me when I explain to the Ancestor all about your _tragic accident_," a sudden harsh voice announced loudly.

Shae had been repeatedly hearing that voice in her mind all day so she actually jumped when she heard it for real and whirled around immediately. There was Dashen Bardel Jr. floating above them in the air.

Meru openly scowled, it was another foreign expression from her mother. "Accident, huh? Well the only accident I see happenin' is me accidentally putting my hammer across your head! Nobody threatens Dart and Shana and I told you before that no one messes with my family!" she retorted bravely and readied her hammer.

Bardel laughed openly, clearly not intimidated. "I see. Well I didn't expect you'd go quietly and since I can't have you go gallivanting off to warn the Ancestor, any of you," he added as he looked around, "that leaves me only one option. Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I get to avenge my Aunt and purify the species at the same time!" he cried with relish, igniting magical rings of fire around his hands.

Meru was unimpressed herself; she still maintained the same battle-ready stance she'd taken earlier. Janna suddenly experienced a bout of courage herself and stepped out from behind Guahara, whom had taken up a position at Meru's side protectively.

"You're a moron Bar-smell! You can't take on mom and dad all alone!" Janna shot at him rudely.

"Yeah, mom will kick your butt like last time!" Mitzy added.

Bardel snarled at them, causing them to scamper back behind Guahara's legs. "It's a good thing I didn't come alone then, isn't it? Say hello to my new friends," he answered nastily and whistled sharply.

Several winglies, some of which Shae knew began emerging along with several tall, pale humanoids with pointy ears. They definitely weren't human and Shae recalled that elves had long, pointy ears like theirs. Looking to her left, Shae recognized the face of one of them; he had been the one in the tree she'd seen earlier.

The grin of Bardel's face was sinister as he started to inch closer to them. "Dragoon or no, you can't take us all on alone!" he jeered at Meru.

Guahara stepped forward from his place at Meru's side in front of his family. "She's not alone! You'd be a fool to assume I'm going to stand here and let you attack my wife! Meru's got me!" he announced stoutly, summoning magic around his own hands.

"And she has me too," Shae added boldly, drawing out her own hammer. While she still held a level of fear, seeing her family in danger gave her the courage to fight back.

Bardel snorted in disgust, seeing the Zanums stand united. "How precious. But you're too late Meru! We've already got your friends, they're with Lord Nvernias! As for your pathetic family, you'll all be gone for good soon! Attack!" Bardel barked to the posse gathered around the area, and on his order the small army sprang forward.

"Shae protect your brothers and sisters! Your mother and I will hold them off!" Guahara ordered as Meru hastily unstrung the papoose on her back and handed baby Zackery to Austin to hold.

Shae nodded and stepped in front of her siblings protectively.

"We can help, Shae! We want to!" Mitzy argued.

"No! It's too dangerous! Stay behind me!" Shae demanded and swung her hammer at an oncoming elf.

The battle lasted too long for Shae's liking; every second seemed like an hour as she batted away opponent after opponent doing the best she could to defend her family. Not to mention in the midst of the battle, it was getting harder and harder to stay focused. Shae had to fight the impulse to turn around and check on her other family members numerous times. Right now, with as many people attacking them as there were, even an instant like that would cost her more than she could afford to lose. As the minutes dragged by in slow motion, Shae was encouraged by the fact she didn't hear any of her family members cry out in pain or fear. From what she could indirectly tell, despite the overwhelming numbers of Bardel's goons they actually seemed to be winning. An anguished yelp from a wingly Meru had smacked in the face with her ornate hammer signaled the end to the onslaught of the coalition attacking the Zanum family.

Seeing Bardel's forces scattered around the area battered and bruised, Shae turned to glare at Bardel defiantly. Surely his turn was coming next and with the nasty look on her mother's face she was sure his share of the beating would be the most unpleasant. However, for someone whose entire brute squad had just been bested, Bardel still looked remarkably smug.

Hovering in the air with his arms crossed nonchalantly, Bardel just raised an eyebrow as the elder members of the Zanum family turned to him. His confident attitude was unnerving Shae. He should have been running for his life by now. This could only mean more bad news.

"For a bunch of human-loving worms that was actually impressive," Bardel began with a sinister smirk. I didn't actually think you'd be able to best all my men, but just in case I came prepared. You know how roaches can be, persistent and hard to kill. I don't care how strong the lot of you pathetic excuses for winglies think you are, but there's no way even the Ancestor could take on my new muscle! Meet my back-up plan!" Bardel taunted ruthlessly.

Almost precisely after he'd spoken his boisterous threat a loud roar cannoned through the air and the entire ground began to rattle violently. The shaking was so severe that it forced Shae to fly into the air to avoid being tossed off her feet.

"What the heck!" Janna yelled in a terrified surprise, voicing aloud what all of them were surely thinking.

What had Bardel done? Was it some sort of earthquake spell? Shae had serious doubts. There was no way Bardel could have cast magic on this level, only the Ancestor would have been able to achieve something of this magnitude. And the powerful, earth-tearing vibrations didn't account for the monstrous roar Shae had heard only a moment ago.

As if on cue with her thoughts, another screeching roar sounded through the area. This one was much louder than the first, and Shae cupped her hands over her ears for a shield from the overwhelming noise. Shaking her head and hovering ignorantly backwards, Shae bumped into a large tree behind her. A rough, unnatural rumble shook the entire trunk of the tree and that's when the wingly teenager noted to her horror, that the tree was moving.

She looked up reluctantly, a sickening feeling of dread creeping into all of her muscles as she did so. Shae was so startled by what she saw that she nearly lost her flight balance and pitched dramatically in the air. What she thought was a tree wasn't a tree at all, though it did resemble one in some ways. The nightmarish creature she'd just unwittingly backed into was enormous, she didn't think she'd ever seen anything so big in her entire life. And not only was it gargantuan, but it was alive with a very malicious attitude. Shae floated in the air dumbfounded and all she could do was gawk in surprise at this new horror. She watched, wide-eyed in shock as the monstrosity uprooted itself and flailed a massive bark-encrusted arm at her miniscule frame.

Something hard collided with Shae's back and she let out a startled yelp before she realized it was Guaraha. In the midst of such a terrifying monster, her father had managed to keep a cool head and tackled her out of its reach just in time. A massive amount of air like a miniature tornado swooshed over the two of them from the force and proximity of the missed below, buffeting them both back several feet. Having removed Shae from immediate danger, Guahara swooped down and snatched Austin as he was propelled wildly into the air from the monster's earth-shaking steps.

Down below them, Shae saw a bright flash of bluish light as Meru withdrew her dragoon spirit with a prepared expression on her face.

"No Meru, don't!" Guaraha cried out in alarm as he watched her.

"And why the heck not!" Shae heard Meru yell back urgently, barely audible over the extreme noise. "I can take him!"

Guaraha responded with a dubious look at his wife and the surrounding scenario. Shae never questioned her father's faith in her mother, but she could clearly tell that he was having serious qualms about Meru taking on something of that size alone, dragoon or not.

"Don't worry Guaraha! I'm gonna bash this thing into mulch!" Meru assured stoutly and prepared to transform.

Now, Shae had never seen her mother transform before, but she didn't think it was a good sign when the light of the dragoon spirit began to fizzle, and then fade when Meru tried to activate it. Shae saw a look of disbelief and what was more, an expression of panic start to flicker across Meru's face as she tried again in vain to summon the power of the Blue Sea Dragon. Shae knew that something was definitely wrong and Guahara noticed as well.

"MERU! WATCH OUT!" he shouted in alarm as the monster swung an enormous hand-like appendage aimed for her while like a coward, Bardel moved into position to strike Meru from behind while she was distracted. Guahara's warning had been timely; Meru let her wings fade and dropped beneath her two attackers as she fell, causing them to collide.

The ferocious swipe intended for Meru crashed into Bardel's side. Stunned, he had little time to maneuver around it; however he did manage to move in a manner where he was only clipped over an inch of his ribs. Despite the minimal contact, the extreme power contained within the creature's glancing blow punched Bardel back-first into a nearby tree. He slumped into unconsciousness as he made impact, allowing Meru the freedom to return hurriedly to her family's side.

Guahara grabbed Meru's arm in a concerned grip as he pulled her into him. "What's wrong?" he asked swiftly as the tree-monster thundered its frustration for all to hear. The creature began flailing its many branch-like fingers around wildly aiming only to destroy anything it came in contact with. Apparently, it seemed like whatever spell Bardel had been about to use on Meru backfired on the creature when it struck him.

Meru's cerulean eyes were wide when she answered her husband. "Guahara, I can't-" the rest of her sentence was drown out by another infuriated outcry from the monster and several of the surrounding treetops suddenly vanished in a shower of splinters and woodchips. The woody shrapnel fell down around them like a deadly rain, causing the Zanum family to dive for whatever safety they could find.

Shae and Mitzy ended up under the branches of the same tree and her usually impish sibling snagged her around the knees, quaking in fear. Shae didn't blame her one bit; this whole situation couldn't be any more bizarre or dangerous. In fact, as Shae checked the shivering forest for the rest of her family, she noticed that all of them looked afraid. Even her mother wore an intensely leery expression.

"Meru! We can't fight something like this! We have to run for it!" Shae heard her father yell above the din.

Although Shae and most especially Meru, didn't want to admit it, Guaraha was right. They did need to run in this case, especially since there was something wonky with her mother's dragoon spirit.

"Mom, it's blocking the way to the forest, we can't get through!" Shae called out, trying to see the road they had come through behind the tree-creature's writhing roots.

"She's right Meru! We'll have to go Furni instead! LOOK OUT!" Guaraha shouted as the monstrosity slammed an arm down after Meru, which she barely managed to dodge for the sheer size. Worse yet, down below them Bardel and the majority of his gang seemed to be waking up or regaining themselves enough to attack. Shae saw Bardel roll his head to one side and blink his eyes as several of his battered underlings regrouped together and prepared to come after them again.

"He's waking up! Run!" Shae announced urgently and without another word, she soared forward and grabbed Austin from his hiding place by the collar of his shirt. She hoisted him into the air and started flying south at her father's urging, with Janna and Mitzy following suit immediately behind them. Following the trail of the road with her eyes, Shae zoomed forward as fast as her wings would allow for.

Guaraha ushered her by, pausing Janna momentarily to take baby Zackary from her. Somehow in the confusion, Shae guessed Janna had grabbed him from Austin to keep him safe. Baby Zackary was screaming as she handed him over now wide awake and terrified, but his infantile wails were absorbed into the hideous sonic-sounding screeches the gargantuan beast before them was making. All Shae could see were her baby brother's limbs flailing and his mouth gapping open. From over her shoulder, Shae saw her mother say something to her father and they nodded to each other. Both lingered on the same spot for a moment before they began to weave a spell and cast it simultaneously.

Instants later, blue mist began to flow out of their hands and onto the ground, forming a long and thick slick of ice in front of them. Shae realized what they were doing, she only hoped it would work as Bardel's tree-demon regained itself and lumbered after them quickly gaining ground. Luckily, the ice patch proved potent enough to withstand even the foot of this behemoth and it slipped as it stepped down. The gigantic monster lost its footing and toppled over in an ungraceful display. Unfortunately instead of falling backwards the monster fell forwards, looming directly over Shae and her horrified siblings.

Shae winced herself as the shadow fell over them and she froze as the terror of their impending doom swept over her. There was no way she'd be able to outmaneuver something so large that was falling that quickly. From where she was carrying him beneath her, Austin screamed hysterically.

"SHAE! IT'S GONNA SQUISH US!" he wailed in mortification.

Shae didn't need the gruesome reminder. To her horror, she realized that Janna and Mitzy far to her right were also dead in the center of the falling creature's path. The shadow over the Zanum's children darkened and the wind from the creature's plunge intensified. Certain of contact, Shae shielded Austin as best she was able and closed her eyes. So this was the end…Shae couldn't describe the feeling the thought brought her. It was a feeling of fear, pure and undiluted and not only for herself but for her siblings. Would it hurt? Would it be quick?

It did hurt. Something hard and heavy slammed into her side and knocked the breath out of her. Shae felt a rough sensation as her skin made contact with the gritty dirt. She had been shoved into the ground and a sharp sting welled up from her left shoulder as the earthy debris ground into her flesh. Everything was shaking and after a few moments the pulsing pain still didn't subside. Was she dead?

"SHAE! SNAP OUTTA IT SHAE!" a familiar voice cried out in concern that bordered heavily on panic.

Another small and pained voice accompanied the first. "Ow! Shae you're squishing me!"

The teenage wingly opened her eyes slowly and found, much to her surprise, that she was lying face down in what appeared to be a grassy field. She picked her head up cautiously and found that there was no sign of the creature, Bardel, or anyone else for that matter. She was currently, as he had stated, on top of her brother, Austin and her knee was digging into his left side. Meru stood over the both, shaking her.

Shae sprang bolt upright tensely, looking wildly around. "Mom? What's going on? Where's dad, Janna, Mitzy, and Zack?" she breathed anxiously, immediately fearing the worst.

Meru sighed in relief. "That was totally uncool Shae, freezin' up like that! Your lightning fast mother performed a teleportation spell! So did Guahara. He got Janna and Mitzy and I totally got you guys! But, somethin's fishy…we should've ended up in the same place. Maybe he thought I was talkin' about somewhere else?" she pondered aloud.

"Hey mom, where the heck are we anyway?" Shae asked curiously as the tension started to fade.

Meru tapped her foot as she looked around for herself. "Uh…good question. This isn't where I wanted to end up! This is totally uncool!" she snorted in frustration.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Austin interrupted meekly. "It sounds like somebody's over there," he added. "It might be dad and the others!" he continued eagerly as he pointed over a grassy knoll in front of them.

"Yeah, you're right Austin. I hear it too. We should go check it out mom. Maybe somebody over there can help us! I mean, we've got to warn the Ancestor! Do you think we'll be able to find somebody like that in Furni?" Shae asked quickly with a nagging guilt forming in her chest. Maybe if she hadn't waited so long to tell her mother, none of this would have happened.

"I don't know, but there's only one way to find out. But you're totally right, Shae! Somebody needs to stop Bardel!" Meru answered sincerely.

"So what do we do now mom? What about dad and the others?" Austin asked timidly, obviously shaken not that Shae could blame him.

"Well, we're not gonna worry, that's what. Guahara is really strong and he can take care of everybody! As for us, let's go have a nifty look around. Either way, we've gotta get to Furni," Meru reminded with her perky optimism starting to enter back into her voice.

Shae's body gave an involuntary shiver as she and Austin followed their mother over the hill. As they walked closer to the source of the voices Shae started to distinguish words and then sentences. What she heard definitely didn't sound right and what little tension she had released came flooding painfully back and clamped in her already traumatized muscles.

"WORK FASTER LAZY SCUM! IF THESE CARTS AREN'T FILLED BY SUNSET IT'LL BE NO MEALS FOR ANY OF YOU FOR A WEEK!" a harsh and unforgiving voice yelled.

"AND IF ANY OF YOU SORRY MAGGOTS SEE FIT TO COMPLAIN WE'LL FEED YOU TO THE SHIHIDAR!" a second voice affirmed nastily.

By this time, the three Zanums had reached the top of the grass-clustered hill. What they saw took all them by surprise. In front of them was a large quarry of sorts, down in the recess of the hills that had been dug away, the forest trees were being cleared out. This rudimentary lumber mill, distinguished by the multiple planks and wood bits adorning the area was also full to the brim with people that looked no better than the sickly, downed lumber they were cutting. These people looked half-alive to Shae. Many of them were encrusted in thick layers of sawdust and dirt that cracked along the obvious stress lines of their faces. Their eyes were sunken in and sullen and all of them appeared almost too fatigued to stand let alone work. Under the plentiful layers of grime many of the people had the look of sunburns, suggestive of long days under the harsh rays without rest. All of the people present were bound to each other by some sort of glowing, magical chains around their hands and ankles. Amidst the chained workers there seemed to be several unbound figures standing about in various places directing them. Shae could clearly tell by their magical auras that these figures weren't human.

One of the overseers viscously cracked a whip, smacking it into the back of a nearby human worker. "I MEAN IT, WORTHLESS SLUG!" he bellowed threateningly once more. The wingly teen grimaced for the man as he fell to his knees in exhaustion. "YOU PATHETIC MORON!" one of the captors screamed at him heartlessly and pulled his arm back to strike the man again. The overseer's ears twitched and for some reason he suddenly turned to look over his shoulder.

Shae cringed in horror, realizing that her mother had been in the middle of one of her cheerful tirades as they were walking.

"MOM!" Shae squeaked loudly as the overseer that had detected them called out something in a language Shae didn't recognize to more of his colleagues. Not long after, the overseers were swiftly charging up the hill after them. Shae grabbed her mother's arm as Austin latched onto hers.

"MOM!" she piped again in terror.

Meru apparently didn't need the warning, apparently she too had just realized the situation occurring at hand and the error she'd just made. "Huh? Run!" she managed at a moment's notice, reaching with the arm Shae wasn't clamped onto for her hammer.

"Mom, you can't! There's too many of them!" Austin yelped, afraid.

Shae agreed with him. There were far too many and unless her mother became a dragoon there would be no use to stay and fight them off. As much as the thought of her dragoon mother would have comforted Shae, she knew for some reason right now that was out of the question. Something was wrong with the dragoon spirit; Shae had seen it in her mother's eyes. Therefore, Shae resorted to the next best thing in her opinion. She closed her eyes and muttered the strongest teleportation spell she knew while she still had a hold of her mother and brother aiming for Furni.

The resulting pain was almost as if she'd hit herself in the forehead with her hammer. As she envisioned the place she wished to go, she was blinded by a white-hot flash of red light and repulsed violently backwards onto the ground. Before she could blink her mother had grabbed her by the wrist and hoisted her back onto her feet. All three of them continued running hastily toward what remained of the timberline as Meru questioned her daughter's plan of action.

"What were ya tryin' to do, Shae?" Meru asked disapprovingly as they darted back into the forest evading stray twigs and branches.

"Teleport us to Furni!" she insisted, running while still maintaining a secure grip on Austin's hand.

Meru abruptly stopped running and turned around, grabbing her children around the elbows.

"Mom what are you doing?"Shae questioned in alarm.

"Here they come!" Austin cried in terror.

"I already thought of that Shae! So let's try somthin' else!" Meru announced and in a flash their would-be attackers vanished before their eyes and were replaced by the salty, blue-colored Ocean and sandy beaches of Mille Seseu's coast.

Shae breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to her mother. "What the heck was that back there mom?Who were those people? And where are we now?" she exclaimed in an excitable breath.

Meru sighed too, though hers was much heavier, suggesting instead of relief, more tension had just been laid on her shoulders. "I don't know Shae, but I got a good enough look at their ugly mugs to realize they were more elves! It's really weird, I thought somthin' funky happened to my teleportation spell, but if you tried it too and it failed both times, it can't just be me," Meru explained.

"So what do we do now?" Shae asked with her nerves already to the point of fraying.

"_We're_ not going to do anything! I want you two to stay here. Hide and wait until I find your dad and come back for ya," Meru replied sternly.

Austin shivered from where he stood behind Shae's legs. "But mom….you can't just leave us here! I'm scared! What if those bad people find us again?" he cried softly.

Meru sighed gently and pulled him into a comforting embrace. "Don't ya worry Austin. I'll be back before ya know it! And besides, you'll be totally safe with Shae! Your big sister knows how to take care of things," she insisted, glancing at Shae with a motherly smile.

"Like you?" Austin replied timidly.

Meru nodded hardily. "Yep, like me. She learned from the best!"

Shae sighed reluctantly. "I agree with Austin! Mom this is totally uncool! Ya can't just go off by yourself! We need to stick together! You always said we were better off that way!" Shae protested stubbornly. Secretly, she was just as terrified as Austin and there was a part of her, the more childlike part, that desperately didn't want Meru to go either.

"That's true, but in case ya haven't noticed Shae, it isn't exactly safe to be walkin' around together or not! It's dangerous and I don't want my babies turned into tree-trunk toe-jam! Besides, it seemed that bully Bardel really had it in for you Shae. He'll be lookin' for ya for sure," Meru insisted firmly.

Shae downcast her eyes and kicked at the sand, scuffing a good deal of it through her sandals and under her foot. She knew her mother was right. It was safer to stay out here where no one knew where they were until Meru could find the rest of their family.

"Anyway, this beach seems pretty safe to me. I can't feel anyone nearby so ya should be perfectly safe until I get back," Meru added soothingly.

Austin and Shae looked to each other dubiously, but then nodded to their mother simultaneously.

"Okay. If you say so. Be careful mom," Shae replied with worry as she and Austin both exchanged reassuring hugs with their mother.

"Will do," Meru assured playfully with a bright smile and a salute, trying as always, to lighten the mood. "Be good you two. Stay here and out of trouble. I'll be back soon," she affirmed as she lifted off the ground onto her wings. She blew a kiss to her children and winked before she sped off to the right.

It didn't take Austin long to start worrying obsessively. The young wingly plopped down on the sand and hugged his knees miserably to his chest while rocking back and forth.

Shae sighed and sat down in the rough sand next to him. "It'll be okay ya know. She'll be fine and back in a jip. Her, dad, Zack, Janna, and Mitzy," she comforted as she rubbed her brother's back.

"But Shae, what if Bardel finds her and she's all alone?" Austin whined fearfully.

Shae grinned, encouraged by the familiar memory that flashed through her mind. Before today, the last time Bardel had shown up, he'd tucked his tail and ran like a whipped dog from a dragoon Meru. "Then she'll just kick his butt again," she said with a humorous smirk.

"What do you mean, again?" Austin asked curiously.

Shae smiled, but the smile quickly turned into a frown. She wasn't entirely sure telling Austin what had transpired yesterday night was such a good idea owing mainly to the facts that he was already scared enough and Shae wasn't sure he was old enough to really grasp the severity of the situation. Shae was firmly intent on staying silent, but Austin's reasoning skills surprised her.

"Does it have something to do with you guys sneaking out and why you've been so jumpy? Shae, did you know something was gonna happen?" her younger brother suddenly asked her accusingly, as he rocked himself faster in the sand.

Shae put an arm around his shoulders reassuringly like Meru herself would have done. "You're really smart for your age, ya know? Since you're my little brother and it's really uncool to lie to you, I'll be honest. But you have to promise you'll try your best not to be scared, okay? I mean, after all, you've got me to protect you," Shae informed perkily, however opposite her underlying emotions actually were. In all truth Shae wasn't even sure how she could protect herself, but since her brother was relying on her she had long-since resolved to try her best.

"I…I'll try," Austin promised meekly after a moment's pause.

"Fair enough," Shae assured with an appreciative nod. "Well, it's a long story, but you remember when mom sent me to the Kristen's yesterday?"

Austin nodded. "Ya Shae, I remember. Mom and dad were getting really worried because you were gone a long time."

A scowl crossed over Shae's mouth as she recalled the memory. "Well it took me a long time because while I was out, mindin' my own business, Bar-smell bumped into me and started bein' a big bully. He started badmouthing mom and dad and all the rest of us. Nobody talks about us like that in front of me, ya know? It's totally uncool! I wanted to hit him, ya know? Anyway, once he was done bein' a jerk, I decided to follow him because I got a really bad feeling…"

"Shae, you _followed_ Bardel? He's scary! Why would you do that? Did he try to hurt you like he did today?" Austin responded in a small voice.

Shae grinned a little for reassurance. "He tried. Anyway, to be completely honest with ya, I don't really know why I followed him…..curiosity maybe. But now that I think about it, I'm glad I did. Bardel really wanted to hurt us, Austin…" she admitted and proceeded to tell her younger brother the basic story, obviously omitting some of what she considered to be the more frightening bits. Shae didn't know what good it would have done him now; with everything they had just been through Austin was probably beyond the point of terrified anyway.

Surprisingly, Austin sat quietly and listened to the entire story without interrupting. When Shae was finished Austin was staring up at her, transfixed.

"No wonder Bardel was so mad!" he squeaked as his grip on his own knees intensified. He relaxed after a moment. "Shae?" he began hesitantly.

"Yeah?" she answered him softly.

"Did Janna and Mitzy really feel that bad about taking my blankie?" he asked sincerely with a strong undertone of disbelief.

Shae blinked. That was a weird change of topic, but a welcome one nonetheless. "Yeah! Of course they did. They were actually willing to get in trouble goin' to get it. Believe it or not, they do love you. I know they tease you, but they do care," she promised truthfully.

Austin looked down into the sand. "I always thought that they pick on me so much that they really have to hate me. They're always so mean to me," he replied quietly.

Shae giggled, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Well, I wouldn't know what it's like to have an older sibling. I'm the oldest after all! But I do know that sometimes I tease Janna and Mitzy just because I love them. It's an older sibling thing. What would life be if nobody laughed or had any fun?" Shae asked lightly.

"I don't—" Austin started.

"QUIET!" Shae barked suddenly as she jumped to her feet, grabbing her brother's small wrist urgently. Shae yanked them both into a cluster of tall, coarse grass bordering the sand and hunkered down, scanning the area alertly.

"Shae I'm scared!" Austin squeaked fearfully as he watched her.

"Shh! It'll be fine, trust me," the wingly teenager urged, "but you have to stay here with me and don't make a peep! Somebody's coming!"

Shae could clearly read the desperation in her brother's eyes as she spoke the words. She had no difficulty understanding that he was hoping the new arrival was their mother coming back for them. Shae knew better. It hadn't even been that long, and that would have been ultra fast, even for their speedy mother. Plus, she highly doubted her mother could ever sound seriously like a man, even if she tried. The voice she'd heard just now was male and it sounded like there were two people.

True to what she'd heard two well-tanned and greasy-haired men came into view a minute later, carrying a large wooden crate between them somewhat awkwardly. They were talking to each other in rough voices but Shae couldn't pick out anything particular from their hiding spot. Shae put one arm around Austin's midsection silently and pulled him into her side protectively; the look of these newly arrived humans was anything but couth and Shae already had a tingle forming in her spine. These were not people they wanted to alert to their presence. As the two men drew closer to their hideaway, the two wingly siblings began to decipher their conversation.

"Are ya sure about this Raye? I mean, won't the Captn' know some o' it's gone missin'?" The man on the left asked the other.

The man named Raye shook his head, whisking stands of oily hair across his nose. "Naw. Ten goldens says he be totally unaware. What, wit everythin' on the Captn's mind already. He's in a hurry ya see. He been sayin' these last few days that we be late fur deliverin' the cargo, and his people ain't happy about that one bit, he—"

"I heard it ain't be no people that the Captn' be dealin' wit! Me own ears heard he's been messin' 'round with them Elves," the first man announced uneasily.

Raye shrugged nonchalantly. "Elves, merfolk, rabbits? What matter it be as long as Captn' Marleus be bringin' in loot? As I kin remember, I ain't never been paid this well under no Captn' before 'im so ya won't catch me blubberin' on it."

The first man faltered slightly as the two men came to a stop directly in front on Shae and Austin's concealment about fifteen feet away. Shae tensed involuntarily, but it seemed the men were preoccupied and they made no sign of noticing them.

"I dunno Raye," the first continued wearily. "I jus' don't think it natural for elves ter be wantin' people…what do ya think they be doin' wit 'em?"

"Who cares Jimmy? I don' see yur problem and I don' see why it matters. As long as it ain't us they be after." Raye answered bluntly.

"Well, they be bitin' off more than they can chew and that's for sure, wit them crazies in Rogue! That wers the sorriest brawl I've ever been in… and it ain't jus' me! 'Part from the Mayor we got nobody!" Jimmy insisted sorely, using his free hand to rub a spot on his stubbly jaw gingerly. As Shae squinted through the grass, she could barely make out that he had a serious-looking bluish bruise there.

"I be hearin'," Jimmy continued in a hushed voice like he were giving away some precious secret, "that the Lethandarik is dead. I also be hearin'," he furthered in a muted disbelief, "that it be one of them dragoons that done it!"

Shae raised a silvery eyebrow as she listened to the man talk, following the conversation intently now. From what Shae had already heard, these deplorable men had been through Rogue lately and she knew from her mother's numerous stories that her mother's friend and fellow dragoon Mr. Haschel lived there.

"Dragoons? Ha! Don't be blubberin' such nonsense!" Raye barked with an incredulous laugh. "Nobody kin beat the Captn's monster!"

"Then why ain't nobody seen it for a long time?" Jimmy asked skeptically.

Raye shrugged. "Don't know. Ya be forgettin' I be holed up down in the brig for the last few days. It be miserable work and I kin tell ya that the Captn's solo captive be a real pain in the ass! If that Rogue scum weren't important I'd have ripped his blatherin' tongue out me self, never mind the Captn'! I did be hearin' the rumor on deck though that we bein' followed. Old Crowe up in the nest say he be seein' a small vessel off our bow some few miles back. Must be true, 'cause the Captn's tryin' to shake 'em."

"Who'd be stupid enough to follow a ship with our colors?" Jimmy replied with an amused snort.

The moment the man said their colors in that tone of voice, Shae knew that the men were pirates. She bit back the disgust in her mind and continued to listen.

"Don't care 'bout that neither. But me thinks we best be gettin' back soon. The Captn' says we be called to meetin' in a few. Give me a hand matey," Raye demanded as both men temporarily set the rickety crate down and brushed around with their boots in the sand seeking something intently.

"There it be," Raye announced after a moment and fumbled around in the sand with his fat fingers grasping an old and rusted iron ring. He tugged firmly, sliding several thin layers of sand into piles at his feet as he opened the wooden trap door beside them. "We'll stash it down 'ere until later," he stated simply.

"Raye?" Jimmy asked.

"Aye?" he responded plainly.

"Where'd ya be finding this tunnel? Is the loot safe 'ere?" Jimmy asked dubiously as he looked into the darkened space at his feet.

"Aye. Safe it is. It's an old tunnel that runs under the city. I be findin' it when me was runnin' from the Furni Guard years ago. Not much use for travelin' though," he added.

"Why's that?" Jimmy asked curiously.

"'Cause the water's too damn unpredictable. It kin be dry one minute, then harborin' the old sea casket the next. Jus' drop it down, it be fine there," Raye explained.

The two pirates made quick work of depositing their stolen treasure. As Raye closed the door and brushed a few piles of sand back over top of it a familiar and violent roar in the distance shook the earth, causing the loose sediment to fly into the air in a cloud. Both pirates coughed harshly and when the cloud cleared both of them looked at each other with alarm. Shae couldn't blame them for that. It was a sentiment she and Austin where both sharing at the moment. Austin had become so startled he was shaking against Shae's side.

"Blimey! What the devildom was that?" Jimmy exclaimed in an edgy tone, looking around swiftly.

"Will ya quit askin' me questions I not be havin' the answers to? I'll tell ya what though," Raye responded with a tense shiver passing through his entire body. "We best be leavin' now," he affirmed quietly and without another word the two of them loosely covered the trap door and headed back the way they came.

Once they were gone and Shae was sure of it, she sprang from her hiding place with every fiber in her body tight with anxiety. Austin came running after her and stumbled in the sand in his rush.

"Shae! It's mom! I just know it! That monster found her Shae!" he squealed in horror, having come to the same conclusion Shae had herself.

Shae couldn't explain it, but somehow she knew that her mother really was in trouble and that thing really had found her. "I know, I know!" she affirmed to her sibling swiftly.

"Shae we have to help her!" Austin cried frantically.

The statement made her cringe. Yes, they did have to help their mother, but how? If it really was one of those tree-things what could she and Austin do against it? Of the two of them, Shae knew she'd be the only one who could really help with anything combat wise, and that thought lead to another unpleasant one. Shae gulped. She had to go to her mother's rescue, but she couldn't just leave Austin by himself out here. What if something happened to him? He would have no one to help him and he would be defenseless. Another roar in the distance made Shae's decision that much easier.

"Come with me," Shae said reluctantly at last, taking Austin's hand in hers.

"Where are we going?" Austin asked with a tone of courage starting to peek through. "If it's not to help mom then I'm not going," he suddenly declared boldly as he planted his feet in the sand, halting his sister and waiting for her answer.

Shae blinked slowly as she looked at him in surprise. This was the first time Shae had ever heard him talk like this. "We're headin' that way right now," Shae assured him, starting to pull him again, "We're gonna go through that tunnel those two goons just showed us and then you're gonna find a safe spot down there and hide while I go find mom," she insisted as she sifted around in the sand and pulled the trap door open. Peering inside, everything was pitch black after five feet or so. Shae prayed to Soa that the tunnel wouldn't be full of water and that they could find a safe place inside for her brother near the other end. This plan left so much to chance and while she was a mostly spontaneous person, this option was far too dangerous with too much at stake to be fun. And yet, this was the only chance they had to get into the city quickly. Shae lit a magical fire on her hand to light the way and began to climb down.

Austin didn't seem pleased with the idea and watched her skeptically as she descended. "I dunno about this Shae… you heard what those guys said."

Using her free hand, Shae reached for her brother's, hoping to heaven that she wasn't leading him into something potentially fatal. "Come on, it'll be fine. We have to hurry, remember?" she reassured to him verbally, doing her best to let her own words convince her mind.

"Right," Austin affirmed and used his sister's hand as a support as he climbed down also. Shae tested the tunnel and walked a few feet into the darkness with her firelight for illumination. From what she could see and feel, everything was bone dry. Encouraged, the two headed further into the tunnel. The first few miles of passageway did eventually yield a tiny amount of water, only enough to come up to Shae's ankles and over the tops of Austin's feet. It was a factor Shae was extremely grateful for. She was also thankful for the spaciousness of the place; two adults could easily walk side by side standing straight.

After what felt like forever, Shae began to notice a chance in the air. It smelled cleaner somehow, or at least more fresh. The smell of crisp air intensified the further forward she walked. Shae was almost completely sure they were getting close and that thought quickened their pace considerably. Shae stepped down and felt an intense tingle pass through her spine and a familiar hum buzz in her ears. Shae halted momentarily to look around; other than an odd sensation she was completely unharmed. Everywhere she checked seemed to yield a strong magic in the air and it didn't take Shae long to realize what it was.

"A barrier!" she whispered. Even though the level of her voice was muted it still echoed almost obnoxiously in the confined space and made her brother jump nervously.

"What's a barrier?" he asked quietly, as he looked around, perplexed. "I don't see one," he added awkwardly, squinting in the darkness.

"It's not somethin' ya can see. It's what ya feel," Shae explained. "Do you feel that tingly stuff?"

Austin nodded. "Yeah. It tickled."

"That's magic. Even if ya can't see it, you'll always be able to feel it. It's a wingly thing, I think. At least that's what dad told me once. And by the feel of it, it's some pretty strong stuff. This is completely weird. Totally weird….." Shae repeated, thinking aloud. "We must be really far underground if all we can feel of it is a tingle. This must be that totally uncool thing that kept mom and me from teleporting earlier!"

"Do you think it's dangerous?" Austin asked cautiously.

"Nope. It don't think it's dangerous, but it's definitely not doing anybody any favors. I think this is neutral magic," she speculated. "It's not good or bad," she continued. Shae made to take another step, and a familiar presence entered into the strange magic. "Never mind. Scratch that," Shae growled crossly.

"What's wrong Shae?" Austin responded in worry.

"Don't ask me how, but this magic stuff feels kinda like Bardel! Bar-smell's gotta have something to do with this totally weird and creepy barrier!" she realized with astonishment. This new discovery brought a fresh terror to her mind. This magic was so powerful….too powerful for Bardel alone…but she felt him there just the same, as plain as daylight. Bardel really couldn't be that tough, could he? Her entire family had just handed him a beat down a little while ago. Heck, if Shae was that strong and she was getting her butt handed to her, she surely would have used any power she had like that. Surely in all the time she was around him, she would have sensed if he was that strong, wouldn't she? Wouldn't the Ancestor?

Disturbed the wingly teen tried to send her senses deeper into the strange magic in an attempt to uncover more of the truth. It backfired horribly. In a flash of dark-colored light she was propelled harshly by an unseen force onto her back.

"Shae! Are you okay!" Austin piped urgently as he ran to her side in surprise.

Shae blinked from the ground, then shakily stood up, brushing herself off. "What the heck was that? Totally uncool…." She murmured to herself, confused and shaken. No doubt about it, this new magic was definitely of the dark variety. Maybe the earth energies had made it appear neutral at first, but this was definitely evil somehow and extremely potent.

Shae leaned against the tunnel wall for a moment, trying her best to regain her composure. None of this was making sense. Just how far did this scheme of Bardel's go? After a moment, Shae shook her head. "Let's go," she said stoutly, "We don't got time to be standin' around when mom needs us!"

Austin said nothing, merely nodded as the two of them continued forward. Five more minutes passed by Shae's estimate and the tunnel came to an abrupt end. Looking up, Shae noticed steps had been carved into the stone and there was another trap door overhead.

"Are you going up?" Austin asked her cautiously.

Shae nodded. "Yeah. Stay down here for right now and if I tell you to run, ya do it, understand? I have no idea where this thingy's gonna come up at or who's around," Shae warned.

Austin looked down at the ground, but nodded. "Okay, but be careful Shae," Austin begged as Shae slowly cracked open the trap door an inch at a time, peering out through the crack carefully.

A bush scratched Shae's hand when she moved it to the left, and as she moved the door up enough to look in all directions it seemed like this particular spot was hidden by a flower garden up against a house behind them. The rest of the area seemed innocent enough once Shae could see clearly. It was a small, concealed spot in an empty alley between two houses and next to one of Furni's deep water canals. Shae strained herself to pick up on any magical energies that might have been coming from people nearby, but didn't feel anything. Heartened, she cautiously slid out into the thick of the bushes, helping Austin do the same when she was sure the immediate coast was clear.

"Duck!" Shae hissed in a whisper and she pushed Austin's head back into the bushes as a tall, pale elf in ornate black armor strode by hastily carrying a menacing-looking spear with four prongs. He definitely seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere.

Once he vanished from view, Shae turned to Austin. "Stay up here in these bushes until I get back. Don't let anyone see you and don't come out no matter what you hear," Shae commanded quietly as she moved forward and prepared to leave.

The little wingly grabbed her leg. "Don't go Shae! What if you don't come back either?" he whispered, terrified.

Shae looked him in the eyes, being utterly serious for the first time in a long time. "Just do what I tell you and it should be totally fine. I'm coming back. I promise. Soon," she vowed and broke from the bushes quickly before Austin had any more time to think about it. She pulled a stray twig out of her wavy hair and then removed the tie from the back, letting it fall to her shoulders. Shae cast a quick spell on herself, and although it was not the best one she'd ever done, she disguised herself enough in her mind she would not be immediately recognizable.

She didn't look back for fear if someone was watching covertly she would give Austin away. She had absolutely no idea where to go or what to do, so she just decided to walk forward, out of the alley. Shae reached a broken and fragmented street at the end and stopped in surprise. Looking around at the devastation, she was shocked. All around, what must have been a smooth pathway or road was now upturned in places and missing in others. Something massive looked like it had been through here, pieces of road looked like they'd been slid sideways so that they no longer connected but where perpendicular. Parts of the canal walls appeared to be missing and water was leaking onto the remains of the streets. Light poles and other fixtures that had been rooted into place littered the ground like wildflowers in spring along with a blanket of white clay powder and debris that seemed like they could belong to any number of household items. Shae looked to her left and right, noticing that the buildings themselves were in a terrible state of destruction, some missing whole walls and many showing signs of intense fire damage and blackened streaks or charred bases.

She blinked slowly. What the devildom happened here? In her heart, she had a feeling she already knew the answer. Shae gulped nervously as she continued to eye the massive damage all around herself. She shook her head to shake away the stunned emotions and began to walk again. She wasn't going to find her mom by standing there and gawking like an idiot. Shae looked left and right once more. The city was far more complex than she remembered it; whether that was due to the demolition or just the size and the time elapsed since her last visit, Shae wasn't sure.

The watery channels glinted in the dimmed daylight and wound through every corner of the place and what remained of the roads crisscrossed the water at regular intervals and spiraled in all directions making the place, in the wingly teen's mind, one big, confounding maze. She needed a direction or some type of familiar landmark to get her bearings, and although it was not one she wanted, she got what she needed.

Shae had to repress a squeal of fright. There to the northwest, in what was probably the middle of the city, surrounded in the air by hovering dots was one of the tree-monsters her family had encountered earlier.

As if the monster had somehow felt Shae's eyes upon it, the creature let out a ground-rocking screech and swung a massive hand at the ground. The roof crumbled off an already dilapidated house to Shae's left from the intensity of the sheer sonic force.

"YOU! Wingly!" came a sudden, harsh voice from behind Shae.

Shae turned around to see another elf, dressed much like the ones she'd seen previously that day standing there impatiently, glowering at her.

"What?" Shae snapped back, trying to sound casual and mutual in the tone of disrespect.

"What the devildom are you doing just standing around? Everybody's supposed to be looking for this Meru woman and that includes you worthless lot! Both Bardel and the General want this woman's head, so get moving!" he sneered rudely.

Shae tried not to let a concerned look cross her face. "Oh yeah? I was checkin' over in the channels, thank you very much! So why don't _you_ go do somthin' useful instead of standin' there gawkin' at me!" she retorted, trying her best to sound nonchalant and irritated.

The elf scowled at her openly, but didn't seem to question her attitude. He seemed to have been expecting this sort of thing. "Damn you arrogant winglies. You're not the masters of us," he spat in distain. "Remember your place," he hissed with animosity, but then hurried off.

Shae breathed a sigh of relief. If this guy's words were any indication, that meant nobody had found her mother yet. But for them to know she was here in the city must also have meant that someone did see her. But where could she be? Was she with her dad and her other siblings? Shae guessed that hopeful thought would have to wait. The only way she'd be able to do anything was to find her mother first and judging by the large numbers of people looking for her, she was rapidly running out of time.

Another swipe of the tree-thing's hand removed the top off a building in the distance. Shae grimaced. Just what exactly was that thing doing, anyway? With the rate it was demolishing its surroundings it had to be doing more harm than good for everyone, including the elves. Watching the wooden horror, Shae's heart sank for the people of Furni. This place was already in shambles and disintegrating more every day it seemed. What was more; there was no way that anyone outside of the city knew about this. Somehow, these horrible events had to have been kept a secret to the rest of the world, because sure as day, someone would have done something by now. If what her mother had said about her friend First Sacred Sister Miranda, another dragoon, then surely Deningrad would have sent knights if they knew. Not to mention Ancestor Blano. . . Shae knew he wouldn't have just stood idly by and done nothing . . . which brought her back to Bardel. It was obvious, even to the most clueless of people, that the Ancestor really had no idea what Bardel was up to, otherwise he would have stopped him long before now.

Having no idea where to begin, and inwardly not wanting to get any closer to the trent-looking abomination, Shae moved carefully in random directions, stopping to check anywhere she thought her mother might hide. After about ten minutes of nothing she came to the grim realization that she was going to have to venture into the city's center, or at least closer to it. That seemed to be where the activity was most concentrated and the most likely place to find her mom.

Shae picked the road heading that way that was the most intact and started following it. As she came closer to the tree-monster she could clearly begin to hear shouting and the chaotic sounds of people moving about frantically. The voices seemed to be human. Seconds later a mass of people came flooding down the street Shae was on, brushing into her on all sides and almost knocking her over. These people were clearly in a panic, they took no notice that she was a wingly or even another sentient being as they continued their mad dash away from the city's center. Shae realized that several buildings up ahead where shaking unstably and she knew it wouldn't be long before they collapsed. People that had been inside of them ran out into the streets in terror, trying desperately to escape the shower of debris that was beginning to fall from some of the buildings' outer structures. Shae scowled as the building on the right toppled over and crashed into the one beside it, all due to the insane rampaging of the enormous monster. Who the heck was controlling this thing? Because whoever it was didn't care a second about the large number of people they were hurting.

"**GIVE IT UP ZANUM! WE KNOW YOU'RE HERE!" **Bardel's voice thundered, making Shae jump in surprise. She turned all around herself wildly, searching for him, but couldn't find him anywhere. Once her chattering nerves calmed for the moment, she realized that somehow she was only hearing an echo of his voice that had been magically magnified. It seemed to be coming from all directions and was carrying throughout the whole city.

"**HERE'S A LITTLE INCENTIVE FOR YOU ZANUM! WE HAVE YOUR FAMILY! OH YES, AND THESE DISGUSTING HUMANS THAT YOU LOVE SO MUCH! SO THE DEADLINE IS THIS, ZANUM- WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DESTROY THEIR HOMES AND END THEIR LIVES UNTIL YOU SHOW UP! AND HERE'S THE REAL ZINGER, YOU HAVE AN HOUR TO DO THIS OR WE'LL KILL YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY STARTING WITH YOUR YOUNGEST BRAT AND CONTINUING WITH THE NEXT ONE EVERY MINUTE AFTER THAT YOU'RE LATE! COME ON DRAGOON, WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? CLOCK'S TICKING!"** Bardel taunted manically before his voice vanished.

Shae couldn't suppress the horrified yelp that came out of her mouth with this deadly ultimatum and as she did so, she gave herself away to another wingly that had stopped to watch her oddly.

"HEY! YOU! You don't look familiar! Who are you!" he demanded adamantly.

"Oh, hey—yeah I'm new. I'm Janella," Shae lied as she turned around slowly to face him, trying to be as convincing as possible. She failed miserably.

"Like devildom you are!" he shouted dangerously. "You must be that Meru woman! GU—"he suddenly fell over backwards mid-yell as a large hammer collided with his forehead. Shae recognized the weapon immediately.

"MOM!" Shae squeaked in relief as Meru stepped out from behind the corner of a nearby pile of rubble. The look on her face was furious, but also relieved at the same time.

"Shae what the heck do ya think you're doin'? I told ya to stay put! Where's your brother?" she scolded.

"He's safe! I'm sorry mom, I just couldn't stay! We had to help you!" Shae breathed emotionally.

Meru gapped at her incredulously. "Ya left your brother by himself! Are ya crazy! Do ya have any idea what could happen to you guys? TOTALLY UNCOOL SHAE!" Meru exclaimed in a motherly huff.

"I had to! What are we gonna do? They're killin' people mom!" Shae blurted in worry.

Meru looked Shae in the eyes with same grievous expression she'd seen earlier. "Don't ya think I know that Shae? Bar-smell's been shoutin' out threats for almost an hour now. Don't look at me like that—he hasn't killed anybody yet, he's just got that mondo creepy tree-thing knockin' stuff over to scare us. He hasn't killed anybody because he knows if he does I won't turn myself in. But he's such a jerk that he'll probably start soon . . .but that doesn't matter!" Meru declared ardently. "Because WE aren't doin' nothin' together! You're goin' back to your brother right now!" she continued adamantly.

"But I can't just leave you! Mom, can't you turn into a dragoon, like Bardel said? You could take that thing on no problem!" Shae pleaded, not knowing what else to recommend in this dire situation.

"No Shae, I can't!" Meru admitted gravely. "Don't ya think I've tried? I don't know why, but my spirit's gone all funky on me! But even if I could, I can't take on this butt-ugly thing, Bar-smell, his gang, and this General Ziran with all his elves! Maybe with all the other dragoons here with me or the Ancestor, but I don't think even he has enough power to help with this," Meru acknowledged honestly.

"But! But there has to be something! What about dad? What about Janna and Mitzy and Zach?" Shae cried in desperation.

"They're fine for the moment. They're in a jail cell by the water, but it's too heavily guarded to get to. It's makin' me all frustrated," Meru confessed with a heavy sigh.

"But you can't just hand yourself over! Mom, they'll kill you!" Shae cried out miserably and seized her mother in a tight, fearful embrace not unlike what Austin would have done.

A bright, light blue glow erupted from Meru's chest and covered mother and daughter, then the stone that was Meru's dragoon spirit pulled away from her and hovered into the air between her and Shae.

"What the heck…?" Meru mumbled, confused. She stepped backwards, moving away and when the glowing spirit orb didn't follow her, she blinked slowly. Something apparently had just dawned on her. "Shae, hold out your hand. I wanna see somethin'," Meru instructed.

Shae did as she was told and the shining gem dropped into it instantly. As the orb made contact with her skin it sparkled brightly and sent a cool, liquid-like sensation flowing over her entire body.

"Mom?" Shae asked her questioningly, as a knowing look crossed over Meru's face.

"Yep. I was afraid of that," Meru stated simply.

"Afraid of what? Mom, what's happening? I feel weird," Shae asked in alarm.

"No wonder the funky thing won't work for me . . . it's not listenin' to me, just like my kids . . ." Meru replied quietly.

"Who is it listenin' to then?" Shae asked as she started to fidget nervously on her toes.

"I thought ya would've figured it out by now. What with ya inheritin' my smarts n' all," she answered plainly.

Shae gulped and nearly fell over from surprise as the truth occurred to her. "Mom, you're dragoon spirit's listenin' to me!"

"Yep," Meru responded truthfully.

"That means I can—" Shae began, a glimmer of hope starting to flicker within.

"Yep. But you're not gonna," Meru stated firmly.

"Why not? Mom, tell me how to work this thingy!" Shae cried, shaking the sphere in her hand as if that would somehow help.

"No! I mean it!" Meru insisted seriously. "If you turn into a dragoon n' stuff I won't be the one they're all chasin'! It'll be you they're after and they'll catch ya 'cause even if I tell ya, ya won't know what you're doin'! And if they catch ya that's the end of the story! Shae they'll kill ya!" Meru cried in worry. "I couldn't take all of 'em on and neither can you!"

"But they'll kill _you_ if they find you either! And without this thing, you can't . . ." Shae whispered fearfully.

"Better me than one of my babies!" Meru exclaimed powerfully.

"I won't let them! Mom, come with me! Let's go save everybody together! We can—"Shae started again, despair forming over her infantile hope.

"NO!" Meru shouted without meaning to. "Oops!" she hissed and pulled Shae behind the corner of a building while looking around to see if they'd alerted anyone to their presence. Once she was sure they were still hidden, she continued. "You need to get out of here and warn the Ancestor! My friends and all the rest of us need him! I don't care how strong Bardel is because he's a gross-lookin' roach compared to Ancestor Blano! Now, I'm not gonna tell ya how to fight, but I am gonna tell ya how to get away," Meru persisted. "Shae, ya don't realize how important that thing you've got is! They can't find it or else we'll be in big-time trouble, so listen up! Ya can breathe underwater with that spirit. All ya gotta do is hold onto it and draw that tingly feeling into yourself. That should be it. You're gonna get into that waterway over there, you're gonna go back and get your brother, and then you're both gonna run like mad back to our forest! Got it?"

"What about you, mom? I can't just leave you!" Shae continued stubbornly.

"Yes ya can 'cause I can't leave here. If they think I've left they might start killin' people. I'm gonna hide as long as I can, don't ya worry. If ya hurry, the Ancestor will be here to help soon," Meru reassured.

"But, what if I have to fight?" Shae asked uncertainly. The second she'd spoken the words, the young wingly had the oddest sense of déjà vu. Shae saw a mental image of a young girl's face whom she'd never met before. The girl looked weird, she thought, because she had teal-colored scales around her eyes.

"_But what if I have to fight?"_ this girl asked someone she couldn't see.

"Shae! Are ya payin' attention?" Meru snapped, bringing Shae's attentions back into focus.

"Yes," she replied nervously.

"Good! Don't worry about fighting. If ya have to, then you'll know how. Dragoon spirits are alive, it'll let ya know what to do. Now go on slowpoke!" Meru encouraged.

Shae sighed reluctantly. She didn't want to leave her mother's side. "Mom I'm scared," she admitted lamely.

"It'll be fine. Trust me," Meru comforted. "I—" she started. Without another word, Meru shoved Shae roughly into the waters of a canal behind them. Shae broke the surface and gasped for air, just in time to see her mother take off running in the opposite direction. She didn't make it very far, Bardel and group of elves mixed with winglies landed all around her, boxing her in.

"I thought I felt dragoon energy over here," Bardel snarled as he eyed Meru ruthlessly.

"Don't be so arrogant Bardel. The fact that General Ziran saw blue light from this spot is the real reason we found her just now," one of the elves corrected in distain.

"As if it actually matters!" he laughed harshly and conjured a fireball in his palm, taking aim at Meru's face. "The point is SHE'S MINE!" he shouted with relish.

Meru glared defiantly at Bardel and his entourage. If she felt any fear at all, she didn't show it.

"Any last words before you die, Zanum? Oh I can't tell you how I've dreamed of this! I'll tell you what though. Just to put your mind at ease, I'll send your family to their deaths right after you, you won't be apart long. I'll make short work of your little baby, then make sure your little boy cries like a girl and wets himself before I kill him. I'll draw out the deaths of those two disgusting girls and make your husband watch before I kill him afterwards. And dear old Shae . . . . She and I are destined for a little reunion. I think I might actually leave her alive for a while, get her to see my side, denounce you and your filthy human-loving ways, and then snap her neck with my own two hands. Among other things," he taunted with a merciless smile.

"Stop toying around and finish her before something happens Bardel," a sly voice coated in authority called out.

Shae shivered from where she hid at the edge of the canal, peering over the edge just slightly to get a better look. The new arrival was an elf with long, navy-blue hair. This new elf also had a hideous and large scar across his face. The elf landed from where he'd been levitating and all of the surrounding elves bowed in respect.

Bardel scowled. "I've waited YEARS," he hissed venomously, "to avenge my Aunt, my father's reputation, and restore winglies to our former glory! This bitch has been an obstacle to wingly welfare since the day she was born! NOBODY is gonna deny me this extreme pleasure! I'm gonna take my sweet time!" he snarled defiantly.

The elf laughed darkly. "You despise her so much and yet all you can come up with is to blast her with a fireball and make pointless threats? How disappointing."

Bardel turned to him in irritation. "Well what the devildom are you suggesting then, Ziran?"

The elf, Shae guessed was General Ziran, actually had an amused smile across his mutilated face. "I rather enjoyed your suggestion of torturing and killing her family, but why wait? Do it in front of her while she's still alive to agonize over it. And then feed her to the Shihidar. Why make her death quick and painless when she can die slowly in every type of anguish there is? That's how to deal with someone you despise. Take everything from them that they cherish, take all hope, and then kill them," he suggested ruthlessly.

Bardel nodded, a sinister smile coming to his lips. "I like the way you think, Ziran. You—" he barked, addressing an underling, "bring me those two brats!" he ordered crisply.

Ziran had a wicked smile playing across his own lips as he eyed the involuntarily cringe on Meru's face.

"Not so tough now are you Zanum?" Bardel crooned.

Shae had absolutely no idea what to do, but she had to think of something fast. Two winglies Shae vaguely recognized came back a few seconds later carrying a squirming Janna and Mitzy, whom where both trying to escape their captors' holds desperately.

Ziran whistled sharply and a high-pitched, hollow sound echoed through the air. Moments later, unsecured objects were leaping off the ground as the earth itself shook. Water from the channel sloshed all over Shae's body violently as the tree-thing walked directly into their area, towering above them menacingly.

While Shae had moved her head to look at the newly arrived monster, so had everyone else. Meru seized the opportunity to swing her hammer in a wild arc, catching three winglies completely off guard and knocking them to the ground. She lunged toward Janna and Mitzy, drawing everyone's attentions sharply back to her.

Bardel tried to conjure another fireball and Ziran said something in elvish. Suddenly, the gargantuan monster turned and used one of its many branch-like 'fingers' to grab Meru in one swoop, nearly crushing her from the contact. Meru yelped but didn't scream, though her display of bravery didn't stop Janna or Mitzy from yelling in terror at the top of their lungs. Shae put her mouth underwater to stifle her own outcry of fear. Her mother looked like a twig next to the monster's size.

"AFTER ALL THAT, YOU'RE STILL GOING TO DIE! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT? YOU'RE PATHETIC, DRAGOON!" Bardel jeered gleefully.

Meru tried to cast a magical ring of fire around her own body, but the monster holding her didn't even flinch. Using what was left of her energy, Meru dispatched a fireball of her own at Bardel with a hand she'd managed to wrestle free.

Bardel had been so busy laughing he narrowly avoided the missile. It singed his eyebrows and the top of his lavender-hued hair as it impacted the ground in front of him. He squeaked in surprise and jumped hastily backwards. An enraged scowl replaced his earlier smile.

"THAT DOES IT! KILL HER! KILL HER NOW! I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE BRATS!" Bardel thundered to the wooden behemoth holding Meru.

The monster gave him a blank look from its void-like eyes as it opened its maw and raised Meru up so that she was level with the opening. Shae squealed in terror, causing General Ziran's long ears to twitch. Dread washed over her as she realized she'd just given herself away. Or had she? A few seconds passed and General Ziran still didn't look her way. Shae noted with surprise that he seemed to be listening to something else. Not too long after, a new and far more threatening voice said something to the tree-creature in elvish, causing it to go oddly limp with Meru still clutched in its enormous hand.

"_**Wait General,"**_the voice, like needles pricking across Shae's skin, commanded. _**"This wingly woman might yet prove useful to me. I want her alive."**_

General Ziran looked for all his displeasure like the voice had just ordered him to commit suicide. Bardel had a similar expression; he looked like someone who'd just had their favorite toy forcibly taken away. His face became livid and turned scarlet red around his cheeks and neck.

"BUT YOU SAID NVERNIAS THAT-"Bardel began furiously, yelling animatedly to the new voice that was sounding from nowhere. About halfway through his sentence, Bardel doubled over, screaming obscenely in pain. He shook his head in an exaggerated manner, as if he'd been hit with an invisible mallet. General Ziran seemed to be watching the display with an odd combination of sympathy and amusement.

_**"Don't address me so informally, Dashen."**_ The voice responded casually, as if this sort of extreme torture was something it did every day.

"How dare you deny me Zanum! You said—" Bardel continued brazenly once he'd regained enough of himself to speak again. His reward was another dose of whatever was causing him the sightless pains. He sank to his knees, screaming in agony.

_**"Let me finish Dashen. Or do you need another lesson in patience?"**_ the unseen person taunted.

Bardel snarled vehemently, still for some reason too stupid to stay silent. "I don't have to put up with this! How dare you, you-!" Bardel fell from his knees to his side, curling into a ball as he was assailed a third time by the invisible magic. Shae didn't know how he was still conscious, let alone speaking, though she didn't pity him at all.

"_**So then Dashen, are you telling me that you're going to just simply leave? You'll go back to your forest and pretend nothing ever happened? I'm sure you'll walk into welcoming arms,"**_ the voice sneered, "_**Your Ancestor will simply turn a blind eye to your recent activities when my masking spell has been removed,"**_ it continued sarcastically. "_**No. You're not going anywhere Dashen and we both know it because your Ancestor's punishment is nothing compared to what I'll do to you if you attempt to double-cross me."**_

__The tree-creature trembled slightly and took a miniscule step in Bardel's direction, as if to emphasize the point. This new threat was definitely enough to silence Bardel, or at least make him more agreeable. He looked up at the monstrous creature with a clear fear written all over his face, much to Shae's pleasure. Bardel was a bully, but this Nvernias seemed to be an even bigger one.

Bardel cowered before the behemoth in front of him before finally gaining a tone of respect in his voice. "My lord, I merely thought that you and I had—" he started meekly.

_**"Silence!" **_The voice demanded as Bardel prepared himself for another strike. Surprisingly none came this time. _**"I never said I was going to let the woman live indefinitely Dashen. She merely has information I seek, not to mention certain connections that could prove highly useful. Or have you forgotten our goals?"**_ the harsh voice reprimanded with a hiss on the last bit.

"Of course I haven't forgotten!" Bardel retorted incredulously, "BUT MERU MUST DIE!" he yelled back pitifully, almost like a kid begging for a new puppy to stubborn parents.

From where she hung suspended in the monster's grip, Meru scoffed. "Ya aren't gettin' nothing outta me ya jerk!" she insisted firmly.

The voice, having heard her, laughed loudly. _**"Ah yes. The infamous water dragoon, Meru Zanum. There is much you can tell me Meru. I know you and I will come to an understanding, you'll find that I can be quite persuasive," **_the voice promised menacingly.

Janna and Mitzy suddenly started howling in pain simultaneously and writhing in agony within the holds of their captors. Creeping black marks like slithering snakes began crawling over what parts of their skin were exposed to the eyes. As the marks moved further over their bodies, the more the pain they were in seemed to intensify.

"HELP! MOM HELP!" Janna screeched hysterically in anguish, causing Shae's dragoon spirit to spark to life under the water with a powerful glimmer. The hue of the water was much the same as the color dragoon spirit's magical light, making it far less noticeable than it should have been to everyone around the area. In fact, they were all so transfixed, they didn't notice at all.

Meru, urged by the horrid screams of her children, struggled harder than ever for her freedom.

_**"You will tell me dragoon," **_the voice assured plainly, clearly dead to any remorse for hurting innocent children, "_**or I will suck the souls from their bodies and feed them into Mayfil's inferno, where they'll suffer for the rest of eternity."**_

__"AHH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" Mitzy screamed vehemently over and over in pure torment. Her entire arm and part of her neck had turned a solid jet black and was pulsing with sickly, demonic energy. Janna wasn't much different; however she no longer had the capacity to speak at all. She was entirely shrieks and wails, clearly suffering beyond words.

Watching the display and struggling against the tree creature's iron grip for everything she was worth Meru looked as if she were about to die herself. "STOP! STOP IT OR I WON'T TELL YA ANYTHING! IF YOU KILL THEM I WON'T SAY NOTHIN'!" she thundered frantically.

_**"Is that so?"**_the voice mocked as part of Janna's face turned black.

"IT IS SO!" Meru screeched in a panicked voice.

Nvernias seemed amused. _**"Believe it or not, information isn't a problem for me to obtain. Whether you wish it or not, I can extract all that I need from you. I want something else."**_

__"STOP YA JERK! STOP!" Meru bellowed wildly, scraping her arms so roughly against the tree monster's barky finger that she bled.

_**"Give up the spirit of the Blue Sea Dragon," **_Nvernias commanded bluntly.

Meru tried to bluff. "FINE! TAKE IT BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO STOP!

The voice that was Nvernias suddenly sneered and Meru screamed herself, writhing in pain. Through the intense sensation, she still managed to yell back at him defiantly. "GET THE HECK OUTTA MY HEAD!" she shouted with determination.

_**"Liar, liar. You do not have the spirit I seek. It has passed into the hands of another!" **_ Nvernias' voice announced to the crowd at large.

Stunned expressions passed over everyone's faces, including Shae herself. How could he possibly know such a thing? Was he really reading her mother's mind? Shae suddenly realized that Janna and Mitzy had stopped screaming. Both had passed out from pain and were slumped limply in their captors' arms, but they seemed to be returning to normal. The dark sigils were disappearing from their bodies.

"My Lord…?" General Ziran questioned hesitantly.

_**"Your list of failures are growing steadily larger, General,"**_ the voice stated sourly and without warning General Ziran doubled over in pain himself for no apparent reason.

Shae had no idea who this Nvernias was, but he must have been just plain evil if he would punish his own General just for speaking. Which begged the question, why had he just let Janna and Mitzy go? Shae was startled when Nvernias began shouting and Ziran started shrieking like everyone else had been moments ago.

_**"YOU IMBECILE! HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO CARELESS? DID YOU THINK YOU COULD HIDE IT FROM ME? A DRAGOON, GENERAL?" **_ Nvernias thundered furiously.

Shae thought briefly that they must have been talking about her, however the thought didn't have that much credibility owing to the fact that they'd just found out about her a minute ago. No, they had to be talking about someone else! Another dragoon must have been nearby! That thought made Shae's heart race. Was it Sister Miranda coming to the rescue at last?

General Ziran was trying to say something through gritted teeth, but couldn't for shaking. Shae wondered vaguely if Nvernias was going to kill him. He'd undoubtedly just discovered something in the General's mind that troubled him. The torture subsided as the voice continued.

_**"Are you sure there was only one?" **_ Nvernias hissed sourly.

"My Lord I swear! I saw only one! And those brats, they can't leave the forest without us knowing, they'll never make it to Deningrad . . ." Ziran corrected feebly.

Bardel turned to him with a disdainful countenance. "You mean they've slipped the forest?" he asked, dismayed. "Sister Miranda will come down our throats!" he cried in disbelief.

_**"There is nothing to fear from that human,"**_ Nvernias stated calmly. _**"I have seen this White Silver Dragoon from your mind General and it's not her. In a way, this new turn of events pleases me. This new dragoon has none of the previous one's experience or power. The girl will not leave this area undetected. As for Deningrad, I fear nothing from those weak mortals. Band after band of pathetic warriors they've sent against us, and they claim they are their best. We crushed their 'elite' under our heels like ants. The rest of their forces, now that the Sacred Sister is no longer a dragoon will be just as insignificant. Even with as stupid as humans inherently are they were bound to stumble across our actions at some point, if not directly, then circumstantially. Now winglies…those are a different matter."**_

__This statement made Bardel's nose wrinkle unpleasantly, but he remained silent.

_**"While humans are irrelevant Winglies would present more of a challenge. And one thing I will not permit is a human-wingly alliance. Therefore we will crush them before that can become a reality. Alone the winglies will be little more than a minor nuisance, but with their threat removed we will have completely secured this area. I will give you the Shavatmaw, General Ziran, for your assault against their forest in two days,"**_ Nvernias instructed plainly.

General Ziran bowed where he stood, facing no one in particular. "Yes my Lord," he replied somewhat reluctantly.

"And what about me?" Bardel asked, obviously unsure about this new turn of events. "Lord Nvernias this assault is so soon!"

_**"I would have thought this news would be pleasing to you, Dashen. Your new regime is at hand. However, for the moment I am giving you a different task. I want you to track down this new water dragoon, kill her, and take the dragoon spirit," **_Nvernias commanded.

Shae gulped quietly.

"But Lord Nvernias, who is it?" Bardel asked, confused.

_**"This will be both convenient and enjoyable for you Dashen. Shae Zanum. She knows too much."**_

__Forgetting his earlier displeasures, Bardel seemed elated with the news. "Perfect,"  
he laughed with mirth, "That's just perfect. I'll have no problem with this assignment, trust me!"

_**"Your enthusiasm is promising Dashen. I do believe that this Shae has not yet left the city. She was here not half the hour past. Find her!"**_

__"Yes Sir!" Bardel assured jovially. "And what about them?" he added, inclining his head to Janna, Mitzy, and Meru.

"YOU BULLIES YOU'LL NEVER WIN AGAINST THE ANCESTOR HE'LL KICK YOUR BUTTS! AND YOU'LL NEVER GET MY DAUGHTER BARDEL SHE'LL SHOW YA UP NO PROBLEM!" Meru shouted valiantly.

"I assure you Zanum, your confidence in her is unfounded. Without you to protect her, she'll be mine in a heartbeat!" Bardel shot back smugly.

_**"Bring the woman to me and put the insects back in their cells. Triple the guard," **_the voice of Nvernias ordered in regards to the rest of Shae's family, much to her relief and complete surprise.

"Why not just kill the kids?" Bardel asked with a strong undertone of disappointment.

_**"Because they are related to this Shae and we can use them as bait. We can also use them against her and the Ancestor should he choose to get involved. Their concern for these pathetic mice make them tenderhearted and weak fools,"**_ Nvernias explained nonchalantly.

"I'M NOT GONNA HELP YA HURT MY DAUGHTER!" Meru yelled blatantly. "I'M NOT GONNA HELP YA WITH ANYTHING!"

Suddenly a different voice filled the air. "_HELLO? WHAT'S HAPPENING?" _ a female voice asked shakily in clear confusion before fading.

Meru gasped when she heard the voice. "SHANA! IS THAT YOU? SHANA!" she cried out desperately and started to struggle again. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH SHANA!" Meru yelled angrily.

_**"Don't worry," **_Nvernias assured sarcastically. _**"You'll find out soon enough,"**_ he finished and with his words, Meru collapsed unconscious and hung limply in the tree-monster's grasp. _**"General,"**_ Nvernias began.

"My Lord?" Ziran responded crisply.

_**"When that human Marleus arrives put her on the boat to me immediately. He'll know where to take her. Until then, I want her kept in her own cell. We don't want her plotting escape with anyone else,"**_ he instructed.

"As you wish, my King," Ziran answered respectfully.

_**"That is all,"**_ Nvernias announced simply before his voice vanished as suddenly as it had come.

The tree-creature lowered its enormous arm and gave Meru to General Ziran whom took her with a look of great resentment and walked away. Bardel took the opportunity to magically amplify his voice once more.

"**Shae, oh where are you Shae? Yes Zanum I know it's you and I know you're here. I'm going to find you. You can't escape so give up now and I'll make it quick. You can run but you can't hide,"** he jeered.

Shae scoffed inwardly. As if she'd give herself up willingly to him? She growled at the thought and strained from her obscured position for a better look at General Ziran. She was dismayed to find he'd already vanished. She'd been hoping to follow him. Now, she had no idea where he mother was. A tingle flowed through Shae's hand from where she clutched her dragoon spirit in a nervous grip. For reasons she couldn't explain, she immediately knew she had to get back to Austin. Every second she was gone was a second he could be found and she knew that at least for now, her family was in no immediate danger of death. That was something she wouldn't be able to say for herself if Bardel caught her.

But how could she get away? An idea dawned on her as the dragoon spirit continued to tingle in her grasp. The thing was literally glowing with watery energy. Her mother had told her she could breathe underwater, but Shae thought she could take it a step further. She closed her eyes and called her own power in addition to the power contained within the dragoon spirit. She let the two mix together, casting the spell she wanted. Sure enough, as she looked down, she realized that she could no longer see herself. She'd managed to give herself a roughly aqueous form, disguising herself with her surroundings completely. She quietly submerged herself into the water with a deep breath, but found after a moment that she didn't need it. True to her mother's word, Shae was breathing water like she would air. She didn't think about it anymore, she quickly turned and started swimming straightaway, finding that in her liquid state she literally flowed with the current.

After a few wrong turns, she finally managed to find her way back to the canal she'd seen upon first entering Furni. She could see the old flower bushes from beneath the water, but to her horror someone else seemed to have found them too. Another wingly from her forest that Shae recognized as Kera was holding Austin in a headlock and calling something out so loudly that Shae could feel the vibrations from her voice underwater.

Without thinking, she lunged toward the surface breaking through the water and into the air. As

she did so, she regained enough of her solid form to knock Austin and Kera off their feet, sprawling them onto the ground. Shae quickly pulled Austin to his feet as Kera regained hers. Kera swung a fire-enhanced punch at Shae, whom used all her years of dance training to gracefully spin aside, twirl like a ballerina, and shove Kera face first into the water beside them.

Screaming like an injured banshee, Shae heard Bardel coming towards them from several streets over. "HURRY UP! HURRY UP!" he bellowed at the people that must have been with him.

"Shae what are we gonna do? Where's mom?" Austin squeaked.

Shae glanced urgently at the trap door, a crazy idea forming. She flung it open as Bardel's face zoomed into view, a snarl of fury adorning it as he saw her.

"There's no time! We gotta go!" Shae gulped in reply. Without a second thought she used her magic to channel water from the canal into the old tunnel, completely submerging it and turning it into a water tunnel. She didn't know whether or not the dragoon spirit would protect Austin too despite her pleas to it, but there simply wasn't time for anything else. It was either this or they both died on the spot. Shae sighed. What a loser of a big sister she must be. She kept putting her siblings in danger. Shae pulled Austin into her side and instantly jumped into the deadly-fast white water she had created. She immediately felt them began to pick up speed as the water surged down the chute and engulfed them completely. There was a glow of blue light, Austin's nails dug into her ribs and then her head hit a stray rock and everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Thanks again for reading and reviewing and I apologize for the extremely long delays. My life has been extremely hectic these last few months, I lost power and water at my house for a while due to Hurricane Irene and my school schedule got ardently skewed by the Virginia earthquake seeing as how I live in the vicinity of the epicenter. I truly appreciate your patience as I try to get myself back into balance. I know. Excuses, excuses… Hopefully the length of this chapter will be appropriate compensation. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon; all copyrights are still in effect and property Sony Entertainment.

Rising Storm

Wendel Striker was having an uneventfully boring day. Though the weather was perfect and the day was fair, sailing held little interest to him. The soft sea breeze wafted across his face, bringing the familiar scent of saltwater and warm sands to his nostrils. It was a subtle reminder, but one that brought the pang of homesickness to his awareness. It had already been three days since the sacking of Rogue and Wendel wondered how the repairs must be going. The school must have been postponed, because Wendel was sure all the students, whom were dedicated to their art and their homes, must be helping out. This brought another thought to mind, and it was far less comforting.

Despite his attempts not to let him beleaguer his already troubled mind, Marleus' outlandish treachery kept resurfacing to the forefront of his thoughts. What a filthy traitor…he'd been taken in, treated for his injuries, and even allowed into the Rogue School. He'd played the kind hearts of everyone in town, and in the end all of it was a ruse. Wendel allowed the tense sigh he'd been holding onto to escape his mouth. Master Haschel was right about a few things. First, that the true nature of things would always be revealed eventually and secondly, never eat kiwi fruit raw, the hair somehow always manages to ruin the flavor.

Wendel halfway gagged as the hairy exterior of the fruit he'd been eating caught in his throat. The gag quickly became a muffled laugh as he imagined Haschel making a lame joke about his hairy disposition or something of the like. Almost like the thought carried him home, Wendel could also see Master Kongol standing there beside him and shaking his massive head with a goofy grin. It was a strange expression for the serious giant, but those who knew him well would see it happen every so often.

Wendel glanced off the port side of his skiff and watched the coastline drag by slowly. With nothing interesting happening shore-side, he returned his gaze to the watery horizon in front of himself. He was gaining on the pirate vessel, he knew this. He'd seen their black flag, like an ant on the horizon several times within the last two days; however he wasn't anywhere near close enough to catch them. It was frustrating for him to see the ship and be unable to act, but he knew if Master Haschel were here, he'd tell him that this was a lesson in patience. All good things to those who wait, he'd once said. And if Wendel's hunch proved correct, he wouldn't have to wait much longer.

The young dragoon had a feeling that the pirates were headed out into open water and that would require a hefty amount of supplies. Following simple logic, the ship would need to dock somewhere for a time and restock before even attempting such a voyage. And as luck would have it, there was only one major port in Mille Seseu where this could be accomplished. Furni was the only active port on the entire continent large enough to meet the needs of a ship that size and to further his suspicions; they were right on course for it.

Of course, Furni was a respectable city from what he'd heard; they had a full size Navy and a respectable town guard so he didn't fully expect for a pirate vessel to just sail into the Imperial Harbor. He was guessing they must have some secret cove just off to the side or the like, but in either case he knew they'd be making landfall soon.

A sudden splash caught Wendel's eye near the shoreline and as he turned his head fully that direction he caught a glimpse of a vibrant, maroon-colored tail as it disappeared underneath the water. Moments passed, and whatever creature it was hadn't resurfaced, nor was there any sign of a disruption under the ocean so he relaxed. He decided that it could have been a mermaid, judging from what he'd heard from sailors' tales around Rogue. The tales he'd heard seemed to share the general consensus that a mermaid's mood was unpredictable; sometimes they would exhibit enough charity to save a sailor from drowning or in others they would drown men that fell overboard. Wendel wasn't concerned because according to most stories they were also completely harmless unless you made them angry, and he hadn't to his knowledge done anything to anger anyone, save the pirates. He also wasn't planning on falling overboard or losing his skiff for that matter.

Wendel continued to watch the shoreline for a few minutes and after about three or so, another beautiful mermaid with flowing hair, or perhaps the same one, vaulted out of the water. She flipped a complete circle, and then dived back in with a single, fluid motion. Wendel was so preoccupied with the one he saw, he didn't notice the mermaid swimming under the water directly alongside his skiff. Without so much as a bubble, she launched herself in a graceful arc over his boat.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed in sudden surprise as sea spray slashed onto his face. This was definitely unusual; Wendel didn't venture out of the village very often, but somehow he knew most people didn't have mermaids performing aerial acrobatics just inches from their faces. What was happening here? Were the watery women just playing around and he was just some awestruck audience, or were they agitated by something?

The answer suddenly became apparent as yet another mermaid lunged at him from underneath the water. Her long, glittering nails glistened as she snatched for his face savagely. Out of reflex, Wendel leaned backwards and sprung onto his hands, using his feet to flip the irate mermaid completely over the open deck and back into the water. The beautiful creature hissed audibly as she made contact with the surf, a sign she clearly wasn't done with her aggressive maneuvering.

"Hang on! Stop! I'm not doing anything wrong! Just let me pass through here!" Wendel protested loudly, yelling out to the water in general. He didn't see the mermaid anymore, but he knew she was still lurking out of sight. He heard a gurgling growl from beneath his boat, giving her locale away. Unsure of this suddenly hostile being's intentions, he grabbed the nearest line and yanked it a hard left, steering the boat with it.

A clawed hand with digits adjoined by rubbery webbing appeared on his port bow, clutching the edge of the boat. It was followed moments later by a scale-covered humanoid arm and then the head of a beautiful woman adorned with mahogany-colored scales around her cheeks and eyes. The mermaid glared at him reproachfully, but didn't make any further move to attack him. For the moment.

Wendel slowly put both his hands up in a gesture of surrender. That had been Master's Haschel's second lesson. Never use the art, never fight, when it wasn't necessary. If you could talk your way peacefully out of a situation, that avenue must always be tried first.

"Hey, look. I don't want to fight you. The only reason I'm even here to begin with is because I'm following another ship. As soon as I catch it, I promise I will leave here immediately. Maybe you know where it is right now? It looks a lot like this one, only it's much bigger and has black sails. Please if you—"he began affably, but his attempts to placate the mermaid did not succeed. She hissed dangerously, and splashed her maroon tail violently onto the surface of the water behind her.

"Arrrogantttt hummmannn," she croaked throatily as she continued to eye him maliciously. For such a beautiful creature she had an absolutely rough and ugly voice. "Yoouu commee heerre and asssummee you cann commannnddd usss! Wweeee will nott serrvee you! Weee willlll nooott subbbmitt toooo yourrr rooottt wallkkerrs!" she snarled adamantly in her croaking, thick speech.

"Root-whatsits? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Wendel assured truthfully. "Please, I'm begging you. I don't want to fight you, please let me pass by here peacefully. I'm not ordering anyone around, I'm only making a simple request," he pleaded. "And if you won't let me pass through here, then I ask that you at least let me go ashore. I've done nothing to anger you, there's no reason to fight," he added reasonably.

The creature tilted her head to one side, surveying him with the same spiteful glare in her large, reflective blue eyes. Moments passed in silence and Wendel felt his temper begin to flare slightly. Time was wasting and every moment could be crucial to ensuring a successful rescue for the Mayor. If this mermaid was not going to dignify him with a response when he was being polite and insist on baring his way for no reason, then he would be forced to use the art. If she made him fight, he would not be going easy on his opponent because she was female.

"I could have seriously hurt you a moment ago when you attacked me," Wendel reasoned, trying one last time for a successful negotiation, "But I didn't because I don't want to fight senselessly. This is your last warning," he stressed seriously as he subconsciously felt his legs shift into a familiar fighting stance.

The mermaid continued to glower at him wordlessly, almost like she was transfixed by something. It took him a moment to realize that the mermaid's gaze was actually fixated upon the dragoon spirit he wore around his neck. Upon closer inspection, he could see its lavender reflection in her deep eyes.

"Yoouu maayy passss, ifff youuu givveee mmeee thaatt stonnnee," she prompted at last, staring at the glassy orb obsessively for some reason.

Wendel didn't hesitate to decline the absurd bargain. "No way!" he insisted strongly, pulling a hand over the sphere protectively. "That's not gonna happen, so I guess we're at an impasse," he declared simply, fully moving himself into fighting preparations.

He didn't have to wait long. Like expected the creature wasn't appeased by his response and swiftly lunged her entire body onto the deck and after him like a torpedo. "Giivvee iitt ttoo mmeee!" she shrieked shrilly as her webbed fingers reached for his dragoon spirit.

Wendel had no time to dodge or even react, luckily he didn't need to. The young martial artist did his best to shy away from the attacking mer-creature in what limited space he had and as he reached his final step, a bright violet light surged out of his dragoon spirit and repulsed the creature like a physical shield. The mermaid flailed awkwardly as she soared backwards and smashed against the wooden railing violently before falling into the water below. She gave a final hiss that surfaced under the water as bubbles before disappearing completely.

Wendel remained on alert for several minutes afterwards, but when nothing happened, he was sure he'd seen the last of the aggressive ocean denizen. He blinked and rotated his shoulders backwards to release the tension before sitting back down. What exactly was that creature so angry about? He guessed for the moment, it didn't really matter. He looked forward and squinted in the sun. On the horizon he was able to distinguish the beginnings of several tall buildings giving off a white gleam. He also thought he could make out several tall trees, though his vision was partially obscured by the bright light refracting off the water.

After a few more minutes of sailing, the teenager from Rogue started to notice some suspect- looking dark clouds ahead. A stiff, water-laden wind gusted against his face and into his nose, bringing with it the tell-tale scents of an encroaching storm. Wendel sighed in frustration. He hadn't wanted to go ashore shy of Furni itself for fear of losing his pirate quarry, but his small skiff would be no match for a full-force gale. No matter his irritation it wasn't worth the risk to press on, because without a boat, he wasn't going anywhere at all.

The teenage martial artist sailed for another solid five minutes, gaining a small amount of ground before pulling out of the main current and heading for the sandy shore. He could glimpse Furni more clearly now, the white gleams were taking on actual shapes. He estimated by the sight it shouldn't be more than a four hour walk, two if he ran the whole way. Wendel steered his skiff onto the sand next to a small cluster of mossy rocks and carefully set about securing the mooring lines between them and around them. Rocks were far from ideal to tie his watercraft to, but they were better than relying on a low tide or nothing at all.

Once he was satisfied that his skiff wasn't going to drift away and leave him stranded, he grabbed his travel pack and slipped his tanned feet into his open sandals. Wendel carefully adjusted his headband, so that the pattern depicting his school's emblem was clearly facing forward and stepped out onto the beach.

As he did so, a strange sensation crept down his neck and onto the better part of his back down his spine. It was only a slight tingle, almost like he was sensing someone else's energy nearby. Strange too, that this sensation had a slight aspect of familiarity to it. It was like someone he knew was watching him. Wendel blinked and looked around carefully. It was an unrealistic concept, everyone he knew was back in Rogue except for the Mayor and he highly doubted Rogue's leader would be out wandering around on a deserted beach alone. As he suspected, Wendel saw nothing physically. Just as soon as the odd feeling had come, it faded. Maybe he was just antsy from sailing for three days and being confined to one small space.

Wendel started forward at a normal pace heading towards Furni. The sand crunched under his sandals crisp and clear; it was the only sound present besides the ocean's steady thrum. Oddly, Wendel felt water wash over his feet as he moved over a particular spot. He looked down immediately; he had been walking at least twenty feet from the actual waterline.

Out of nowhere distinct, water was springing up from underneath the sand in a large quantity. The way the water was starting to jettison out from the ground suggested it was under heavy pressure and possibly about to come flooding up at once. Wendel guessed there must have been some type of underground waterway present, possibly one of the runoffs from Furni's canal system. It was a simple and logical explanation and Wendel was about to dismiss the incident entirely and continue on his way.

_Thump. Thump._

The odd noise made Wendel's ears twitch. Something was moving underground besides water and it sounded close.

_Thump. Thump._

The noise persisted, but this time Wendel was sure that he heard another sound along with it and it sounded like a muffled shout. Startled, he swiftly checked his surroundings once more. He didn't see anything around himself, but a sudden, powerful burst of water from underneath his feet blasted him into the air and then onto the sand. Wendel quickly broke his fall like he'd been taught in the Rogue art and quickly returned to his feet. He caught sight of the concealed trap door as it blasted open into a fountain of white water directly over the spot he'd been standing on previously. The seemingly random geyser continued to spew water high into the air for several minutes, completely soaking Wendel and his surroundings.

He wiped the water from his eyes just in time to see a large crate barreling towards him, expelled by the waterway. He hastily turned on his heel, moving his entire body safely out of the way, though not without a surprised intake breath and more water. He coughed, spitting out the liquid he'd just involuntarily imbibed, and took three large steps back. Once he had a clear vantage point, he waited for this bizarre occurrence to come to an end. It took several minutes for the bubbling flow to subside and the water was already draining in a trail down the beach into the ocean before everything stilled.

Wendel watched for several more seconds and was just about to leave when a small, pale hand emerged from within the tunnel, breaking the aquatic surface of the passage entranceway. After being momentarily stunned by surprise, Wendel raced to the tunnel's edge, grasped the small arm by the wrist and pulled the small, pale child with platinum-hued hair out of the water.

The child was solidly drenched over every inch of his small body, but somehow still conscious. He didn't even take a moment to acknowledge his rescuer, he began to squirm wildly within Wendel's grasp, kicking and screaming between harsh coughs.

"LET ME *cough* GO! *cough* LEMME GO! *cough* *cough* GET OFF ME! SOMEBODY *cough* HELP!" he screeched frantically.

Wendel promptly set the child down after a sudden and painful kick hit his shins. "Hang on! Stop!" he started reassuringly as he easily deflected the rest of the panicked child's feeble punches. The kid paid him no mind and continued to strike at him blindly.

"WAIT!" Wendel demanded loudly, causing the child to stop, clearly startled by the sound of his voice. "I'm not trying to hurt you!" Wendel promised swiftly once he had the child's attention. "I just pulled you out of the water 'cause you looked like you were drowning and I heard you yell a minute ago!" Wendel assured sincerely.

The child started at him blankly for a moment before resuming hysterics. Ignoring Wendel completely, he turned back to the water and began frantically splashing around within it, searching for something as far as his tiny hands would reach without falling back in. When he failed to come up with anything, the child started to race in terror all around the area like a cornered chicken.

"SHAE! SHAE! OH NO SHAE! WHERE ARE YOU! SHAE!" he screamed desperately.

Wendel and the child simultaneously recognized that another person had floated to the top of the underwater tunnel, but the child got there first. The little boy grabbed a handful of soaked fabric from what looked like a silk bow on this person's back and began to fruitlessly tug at it, trying to drag this person, presumably Shae, whoever she was, from the water.

"Let me do it," Wendel instructed firmly, fearing the child would fall back into the water for his strenuous attempts. Wendel ushered him aside, grabbed the young woman's arm, and pulled her strongly out of the water, face down.

The boy was immediately yanking at Wendel's arm again and then promptly threw himself protectively over the woman, shielding her.

"Get away from my sister!" he shrieked. "Leave us alone!"

Wendel blinked. "Look, I just said that I was trying to help you, I'm not going to—wait," he stopped abruptly, seeing the large bruise that was forming on the boy's chest for the first time, "You're hurt. That looks like somebody hit you," he declared seriously. "What happened? Did somebody attack you? Because that would explain a lot right now," he continued, with everything starting to make more sense. Wendel straightened himself into a less threatening stance and then resumed speaking to the defensive child. "I'm not going to hurt you, or your sister. My name is Wendel Striker and I'm a warrior from Rogue that was just passing through here," he introduced soothingly, doing his best to be patient despite the child's mistrusting expression.

"You…." The boy began after a moment with recognition dawning on his face, "Aren't an elf… or a wingly?" he finished hesitantly.

Wendel felt the odd expression cross his face. That was a weird question to ask out in the middle of nowhere. "An elf or a wingly?" he rephrased questioningly. "Nope. I'm human," he replied, flicking his blunt ears to emphasize the point. "Say—what's your name anyway?" Wendel asked calmly.

"A…Austin…." The child stammered.

"Austin? Well, Austin will you let me look at your sister and make sure she's okay? She hasn't moved yet and I want to make sure she's not hurt," he requested softly, returning his attention to the unconscious girl beneath the boy.

Austin looked at him dubiously for a moment, but then backed away. He remained inches away from his sister's side as Wendel approached them.

"Tell me what happened," Wendel requested as he examined the girl in front of him. She had shoulder-length, wavy platinum hair that was somehow shining even though it was matted down with dirty water and pale, smooth skin. No injuries were immediately apparent, and though her skin was fair, it still retained a healthy tinge to it. Wendel gently rolled the girl over onto her back and wiped the caked sand off of her face so he could have a better look. She appeared only slightly younger than he was himself and was in Wendel's mind, quite cute. Brushing that oddly mistimed thought aside, Wendel looked her face over more thoroughly, making sure he wasn't missing any injuries. It was strange. It was almost like he already knew this girl and without warning a flash of a similar face went through his mind coming from his dragoon spirit. Where had he seen that woman before? At least this girl was breathing, though the way she was gurgling slightly when she exhaled suggested that she still had some water in her lungs.

The boy, Austin, shivered. "We were attacked by bad people," he admitted in a timid squeak, "and huge monsters that looked like trees! We got separated from our parents and my other brother and sisters! Shae went to find our mom but when she came back the bad people were chasing us! Shae saved us, she filled the tunnel with water, she—"

"Hold on! You're saying that your sister filled that ENTIRE tunnel with water?" Wendel interjected in disbelief. "That thing looks like it has to go on for miles!"

"Yeah, of course she did! She used her magic!" Austin insisted as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

"Magic? Then . . . "Wendel concluded aloud, ". . . you two must be winglies!" he exclaimed in surprise. While it was true that winglies had become more common outside of their sanctuaries, they were still a rare occurrence in most places and especially to someone like Wendel, who hadn't seen one in an extremely long time. Not to say he had anything against them, a very good friend of Master Haschel's had been one and he'd heard the entertaining stories about her many times.

Austin immediately slapped his hand over his mouth, indicating he'd said something he wasn't supposed to, but Wendel grinned reassuringly.

"Don't worry. I have nothing against winglies. A good friend of my Master's is one," he assured. Come to think of it, that sentence made him remember where he'd seen the woman's face before. The woman was Master Haschel's good friend and fellow dragoon, Meru Zanum. Wendel had met her when he was four, and thus far, she'd been the only wingly he'd ever seen. Maybe they all looked alike, or maybe this girl knew Meru somehow and that would account for the resemblance, but right now that was an issue that didn't really matter.

"Attacked by people and monsters? Where?" Wendel asked gravely as he finished assessing Shae's condition. Wendel turned his full attention to the child now. If they were in any immediate danger he needed to know.

"In Furni! Mister Striker, elves and bad winglies are hurting everybody there! Something's wrong and all the people are in trouble including my mom!" Austin piped miserably.

"Furni!" Wendel exclaimed in shock, though the surprise came because he believed Austin's story. He could usually get a good feel for when people were lying to him, especially little kids.

"Yes! Mr. Striker, my sister! Is Shae gonna be okay?" Austin yelped, bringing Wendel's thoughts back to the immediate matter at hand. He wanted to get more information, but it didn't seem like Austin would be able to tell him any more than he already had. Maybe this girl, Shae, would be able to tell him more when she came around.

"Yeah. I think she's going to be fine. She's breathing okay but she still has some water in her lungs that's got to come out before she wakes up," he assessed. "I can help with that," he promised.

Wendel leaned over and pressed his palms at the base of the woman's ribs, giving a firm thrust. The pressure caused the woman to cough and when she opened her mouth a handful of water sputtered out. Wendel repeated the technique just as he'd been shown in the Rogue school multiple times, removing slightly less water each time. When the sounds of Shae's breathing evened out, Wendel knew the water was gone. The final step was to fully inflate her lungs. Bending down over her on his knees, Wendel opened the girl's mouth widely before placing his own mouth over hers somewhat awkwardly. He exhaled his own deep breath into her mouth, filling her lungs.

The second the breath hit her windpipe, the girl opened her sky blue eyes and stared into Wendel's face with a clear sense of surprise. He was vaguely aware of being hit hard on the back and he jerked away sharply as the girl coughed back to life. Back to life was an understatement. This girl was a live wire. When she had her voice back, she was obnoxiously loud.

"ACK!" she screeched and hit him again. "WHO THA HECK ARE YOU TO BE KISSIN' ME? I'VE NEVER SEEN YA BEFORE!" she yelled irately and pulled her arm back to hit him again.

Wendel grabbed her flailing arm in an attempt at self-defense, but the girl possessed an enormous amount of agility. With a graceful maneuver she twisted free of his hold and promptly smacked him in the face.

"Oww! Hey!" he snorted and scuttled backwards rubbing his jaw.

"CREEP!" Shae shouted boisterously.

"I wasn't kissing you-trust me-you had water in your lungs and I was trying to remove it-I-OWW!" Wendel protested in his defense as she continued to slap at him.

"So what are ya tryin' to say? Are ya callin' me ugly!" the girl named Shae retorted fiercely and grabbed a large hammer that Wendel had somehow failed to notice two feet away from them.

"Good grief! Why does everybody want to fight me today?" Wendel exclaimed, exasperated. "NO!" he called out strongly, "I'm NOT calling you ugly. Shae!" he stressed seriously, causing the girl to pause when he said her name. "I'm trying to help you so knock it off!" he declared truthfully.

Shae blinked as Austin ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "SHAE! I'm glad you're okay!" he chimed happily.

"Thank Soa," Shae sighed with tremendous relief as she eyed her younger brother. "It would've been totally uncool if you were hurt! Sorry to scare ya like that," Shae apologized ignoring Wendel completely for the moment. It was a distraction Wendel was grateful for. At least now she seemed to be calming down and returning to rational.

After a few seconds, Austin looked up at Wendel. "Shae, this is Mister Striker. He pulled us out of the water!" he introduced.

Wendel nodded modestly. "Please call me Wendel," he offered politely.

Shae shivered strongly, flinging water out of her drenched hair. "So, you saved us?" she reiterated hesitantly.

"I guess so," Wendel answered humbly.

"Thank you!" Shae said a flung herself onto him in a great bear hug. "I knew I liked you!"

Wendel tensed considerably within her unexpected embrace. Was this girl crazy or what? One minute she was hitting him and the next she was hugging him. Although in Wendel's mind, what happened next was by far the most insane. As Shae hugged him a bright violet flash blinded him from underneath his gi followed by a sky blue glow in front of him. A surge of electric power coursed through his body and yet he could distinctly feel another presence within himself as well. It was cool and as smooth as liquid silk upon his skin. It felt watery and his dragoon spirit prompted him with an image of Meru's face once more.

"What the heck is goin' on! I can't see!" Shae exclaimed loudly and somewhere in the obscuring mix of radiating light he felt her let go of him.

"Shae! ?" Austin yelled in confusion as the light died away.

When he could see her clearly, Shae had gripped her hammer once more and taken up a threatening stance with it. "Just who are you! What have you done with Mr. Haschel! That thingamajig is his! I…saw it," she demanded with a hesitation at the end.

"You know Master Haschel?" Wendel replied in surprise.

"'Course I know him! He's a really good friend of my mom's and another dragoon!" Shae shot back.

"Your mother?" Wendel repeated curiously. "Since you've got the water dragoon spirit, your mom must be Meru! Are you Meru's daughter?" Wendel asked slowly, putting all the pieces together.

"What do you want with my mom!" Shae snapped defensively.

"Nothing! I've met your mom a long time ago, and she might remember me too. I'm Master Haschel's best student; you could say he is my father. Master Haschel gave me this dragoon spirit. I'd _never_ do anything to hurt him even if I could," Wendel vowed.

Shae lowered her hammer with an approving nod. "I believe ya. Sorry about that," she said sheepishly. "After everything I went through today I'm really jumpy and I had to make sure ya weren't in line with Bar-smell and his band of losers. That, and when we both started glowin' it totally freaked me out for a second there," she confessed apologetically. "So now what?" she asked, slightly shaken. "It's totally weird that ya found us all the way out in the middle of nowhere at just the right time," she added truthfully.

"You're telling me," Wendel agreed. "Well, I was on my way to Furni," Wendel began.

"Don't go there!" Shae barked quickly. "It's crawlin' with elves and people I'm ashamed to call winglies! Not to mention they've got these gi-normous tree-lookin' things that'll stomp ya flat! Me and Austin just got away from there," she warned seriously.

"Yeah, Austin just said something like that a minute ago before you came to. So what happened? Do you know? Was Furni attacked like Rogue?" Wendel asked directly.

Shae shrugged, though it was more of a weary slouch. "I have absolutely no idea how they got there or what happened to start it all. You just said somethin' awful happened in Rogue?" she asked with dread in her voice.

Wendel sighed heavily. "That's why I'm out here to begin with," Wendel admitted. "You see Rogue was attacked by pirates three days ago and they headed this way. I have to find them because they kidnapped our Mayor!" Wendel confessed with a growl.

Shae looked contemplative. "Pirates, huh? Me and Austin saw some pirates out here not too long ago. They were carryin' that big 'ole crate over there," she informed and gestured to the water-logged container that Wendel dodged earlier. "They were also sayin' somethin' about how somebody named Captain Marleus was late for deliverin' somethin' to somebody and that he's in cahoots with the elves. Even they seemed to be totally uncool with that. I also heard them say that the people in Rogue were crazy and that the letha-whatsit or somthin' like that was dead. They were the reason we found that tunnel to begin with," Shae relayed.

Wendel's face soured as Shae spoke Marleus' name.

"Somebody you know?" she asked, reading his face plainly.

"Yeah, it is. Sorry scumbag is the entire reason Rogue was attacked. This is a pain in the ass—sorry," he interjected as he looked at Austin, "pain in the butt. Regardless of whoever is there, I need to get into Furni. You just said that the pirates are working with the elves and that means they will probably have safe access into Furni itself if what you said is true. I lost track of them about two hours ago so they must be there by now. I have to get there soon if I want to catch up to them! Did you hear anything at all about the Mayor?" Wendel asked quickly.

"Just that he was alive and bein' a pain in the butt. They said the Captain wouldn't kill him 'cause he was too important. Hey, if ya need a way in maybe the Ancestor could—oh my God!" Shae breathed in sudden alarm. "THE ANCESTOR! THE FORREST!" she exclaimed in an urgent shout, apparently remembering something forgotten. Shae grabbed Wendel's arm and began pulling him towards the forest behind them harshly.

"Oh my God if you're comin' let's go! We gotta hurry! We gotta warn the Ancestor! They're gonna be attacked by elves!" Shae announced hurriedly.

Wendel blinked, instantly becoming grave. Yet another attack was going to happen? More people were going to die or be captured unless he and Shae could warn them? The thought was entirely unpleasant and disturbing, but Wendel didn't need to be asked to help them twice. Not only did he need a way into Furni, but it was also his duty as a student of the Rogue School to protect and help those in need. He shivered tensesly. The strange tingling feeling from earlier had returned….

"What're ya standin' around for? This is an emergency!" Shae piped, getting Wendel's full attention once more.

"Right. Let's go," he affirmed simply and took off running behind Shae with Austin in front of him.

Almost as soon as they'd actually taken their first steps into the forest Wendel could immediately feel the alterations in energy. The balance between physical and mental energies was stressed very highly by Master Haschel, and for this reason he'd trained his young disciple to sense both. It was a sense Wendel found himself grateful for; without it, he'd have wandered into this karma-toppling place completely blind. The energy irregularities immediately noticeable were sickly, diseased feelings full of suppressed rage and primal energy. The oppressive animosity caused Wendel's muscles to tense involuntarily as he ran. While years of discipline had taught him not to become mentally unbalanced in such an environment, Wendel knew his focus was not completely above distraction here. Wendel guessed that lesser minds, like those of animals, would probably have let the latent taint here drive them feral, so he knew he'd have to be on his guard. Your heart drove your art. When your fist ached your heart ached. If the heart became corrupt with pure, primal instinct the art became tainted and the user would be no more than a raging animal full of murderous intent. The art was used to save and protect, not to destroy. This had been Master Haschel's first and most important lesson.

About ten minutes into the forest Wendel heard an earth-shaking bellow. The horrendous noise caused Shae to stop abruptly in her tracks and look around wildly in all directions. Wendel did the same and although he couldn't physically see the source of the noise he knew it must be close.

"Hurry!" Shae urged, starting forward again nervously.

"What was that noise?" Wendel asked as they picked up the pace and began running.

"One of those tree-thingies I told ya about! They're huge! Mom said it would be tough to beat those things even as a dragoon!" she admitted reluctantly.

"But there are two of us now," Wendel reminded her. "And size doesn't always indicate power," he added after a moment of consideration.

"Ya haven't got a clue about them," Shae answered bluntly. "They ARE powerful! And they're so big wingly magic doesn't even hurt 'em at all!" she insisted. "I think we'd have a totally awful problem if even one of their ugly mugs shows up here!" she confessed.

"Well then, let's not worry about it until we have to. Where are we going?" Wendel asked dubiously as the forest around them began to look increasingly identical everywhere they went.

Shae wasn't discouraged and seemed to have a definite sense of direction in spite of the mirroring surroundings. "We're almost there," she encouraged and plunged ahead. "But we have to watch out for—" she added at the precise moment all of Wendel's senses sparked to life.

Using his honed reflexes Wendel jumped and grabbed Austin by the collar of his shirt and Shae by the back of her bowtie-sash and pulled them down into the concealment of a nearby bush at the last second. Several people directly ahead of them came abruptly to a standstill, scanning the area intently. Unfortunately, Wendel had been able to keep them from being seen, but not from being heard.

Wendel heard the clanking of metal as it crunched the dry leafy debris in their direction. Seconds later, an armored hand reached into their bush and groped around before finding Austin's hair. With a yelp of pain, Austin was dragged from the bushes squirming in his captor's grasp. Shae reacted without thinking and sprang from the bushes as well.

"Let him go!" she hissed dangerously and prepared her hammer.

Wendel sighed and emerged from the hiding place in a fighting stance. There wasn't much point in staying unseen now anyway.

"Hey—wait—PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPON!" a stout voice commanded.

The area settled stiffly for moments afterward and when Wendel could see what was going on clearly, he couldn't have been more surprised. There was indeed a group of armed people, but all of them bore the imperial crest of Mille Seseu and where completely human. They were all knights, but they looked severely battered.

"Not until you let him go!" Shae barked back aggressively.

"Shae, these people are—" Wendel began calmly, relaxing from his offensive stance.

"What's going on here, Commander?" a smooth female voice asked irritably. A woman wearing leather armor and a white shirt emerged from behind the huddle of alerted knights.

Shae lowered her hammer instantly in surprise as the woman locked her piercing blue eyes on them. Out of the company of twenty or so, she alone looked unscathed, though she had seen some action herself judging by the filth coating her white shirt.

"Sister Miranda!" Shae exclaimed in relief, making the woman blink. The armored woman stepped forward to examine them more closely.

"Do I know you? Wait, that hammer and that face….you must be one of Meru's children. If I remember correctly Meru's oldest daughter's name was Shae, is that right?" Miranda asked deductively.

Shae nodded. "So you remember me?" she asked hopefully.

Miranda nodded as well. "It's been nearly twelve years since I saw you last, but I'd have to be a moron to mistake your resemblance to your mother. Although I daresay that the timing and circumstances of this reunion are unbelievably odd," she declared, and Wendel's mind, rightfully so. "What's going on here? Who is this with you?" she asked, directed at Wendel.

"I'm," he began.

"A friend," Shae finished for him, somewhat surprising him with her response.

Sister Miranda let her gaze linger on them for a moment while she addressed Austin's captor. "Commander, let him go," she ordered simply.

"Yes ma'am!" the soldier responded crisply and gently set Austin back onto his feet.

Miranda's expression went from calculating into concerned as she continued to look at the pair of dragoons. "Where is your mother, Shae? I've been trying to reach her for the last two weeks with no reply. I have serious business I need to speak with her about immediately," Miranda informed gravely.

Shae's lip trembled before she answered. "Ya can't talk to her 'cause mom's been captured! She's in real-time trouble, I was hopin' that you already knew what was goin' out here and ya'd come to help!" she blurted in a breath.

Sister Miranda looked as if someone had slapped her in the face when she received the news. "Captured! By who! Shae I'm going to need you to fill me in on everything you know as quickly as possible," Miranda demanded at once.

"I'll tell ya everything, but right now we gotta move! We have to see the Ancestor or else we'll be in real trouble!" Shae explained swiftly.

Wendel thought for sure Sister Miranda was going to press the matter further, but was surprised when she didn't.

"Men!" she barked authoratively making the weary knighthood snap to attention, "prepare to move out!"

"Yes Ma'am!" they all cried simultaneously.

On their hastened journey to the heart of the forest Wendel found himself becoming increasingly stiff and it had nothing to do with anticipation. It was the same sensation from before, only this time it was strong enough to be almost tangible. Wendel knew with certainty that someone was following them now, but he had no idea who it could be or where they actually were at the moment. He thought about saying something to the others, but decided better of it after a few moments of internal consideration. He had nothing concrete to offer them right now in the way of information and he was also unsure of the nature of the problem. He decided to bide his time and keep both eyes open and alert to the situation until he knew more about it or this invisible watcher decided to act.

A thick feeling passed into the air, alive with energy. Thousands of tiny vibrations were tingling across Wendel's skin as they rounded the corner with Shae in the lead. This must have been the heart of the ancient forest and much to the young man's relief the energy here felt pure and nothing like the sickly, tainted brush they had just come out of. Unfortunately, it appeared that the heart of the forest hadn't escaped all forms of corruption. A considerable group of winglies in a strange black armor had assembled in the middle of the forest clearing in an alcove between two large, gnarled Oak trees blocking the way forward. Wendel didn't need to be told that these winglies weren't on their side; it was a factor Shae affirmed with a nervous gulp.

Sister Miranda brought her company to a halt and turned to Shae questioningly.

"Those are Bardel's cronies," she replied in a whisper, causing Sister Miranda to give her an uninformed look. Shae scowled as she clarified herself. "They're traitors to the Ancestor and our forest! They wanna overthrow the Ancestor because they think he's gone soft! And they wanna start somethin' right on his doorstep from the looks of it! He has to know what they're doin'," Shae mumbled in disbelief. "He has to!" She raved.

"Apparently they were expecting you," Miranda observed nonchalantly and strung an arrow onto a long, white bow she pulled from her back. She held the arrow taut on the string; however she kept the weapon lowered.

"Is there another way in? Unfortunately I'm only here as a messenger right now so I can't kill anyone by law unless it's for self defense," Miranda began sourly. "If I do I'll break the treaty between our races and given what you just told me, that would only lend support to those radicals' cause and might even start an all-out war between them and the people of Deningrad," she confessed reluctantly.

"A wise call, ma'am," Miranda's Knight Commander reassured, lending her his support.

"That's why I'm in charge," Miranda shot back somewhat rudely. "I think about these things before my bow gets me into a political mess. How about it Shae?" Miranda asked again.

Shae shook her head. "There is no other way unless someone teleports ya from the inside and nobody knows we're out here. This can't be happenin'," she growled impatiently. "Totally frustrating!"

Miranda nodded in agreement. "It is irritating, but there is always another solution. We just have to catch the attention of someone inside," Miranda suggested.

"How tha heck are we supposed to do that?" Shae asked quizzically. "They can't see us," she reminded.

"But they probably can sense you if you give off a strong enough magical energy," Miranda said suggestively. "I could do it, if only I still had…never mind," she grumbled remorsefully.

"Oh! I getcha! But, my wingly magic alone probably isn't strong enough . . ." Shae pouted.

"It doesn't need to be. We have something that is," Wendel reminded, an idea forming. "Shae, take out your dragoon spirit," Wendel instructed. "Be careful," he added as he drew out his own dragoon spirit from the inner pockets of his gi.

Shae did as he requested and withdrew her sky blue orb, being careful not to place it too close to Wendel's.

Sister Miranda had been surveying the scene in front of herself, trying to formulate a strategy. The precise second she saw the two dragoon spirits in front of her, Miranda's entire train of thought visibly derailed. She looked like a pink horse with polka dotted horns had just materialized from thin air for sheer disbelief.

"Those are!" she gapped, astounded. "You two…? You WILL tell me everything once we get inside!" she barked harshly in a muted voice, unable to suppress her bewilderment.

Wendel nodded agreeably. "Once we get into a better spot I'll be happy to tell you everything I know and I'm sure Shae will too. Let's take care of this first. Sister Miranda, you and your knights might want to move back a few feet to make sure you don't get hurt," Wendel advised. "Shae, can you use your dragoon spirit to connect with the water underground?" he whispered to his fellow dragoon.

Shae nodded. "Piece of cake," she promised and closed her eyes. A subtle blue glow started to emanate from her hand, disappearing into the forest floor. "Got it," she affirmed after a few seconds.

"Good work. Now make a little stream with it if you can, it doesn't have to be very far. Just push it far enough to get into the Wingly forest, barely under the barrier. Once you've got that, make a little spring up here in front of us on the other end," he instructed.

"No problem. All done," she announced confidently as a small trickle of water bubbled up from the ground at Wendel's feet.

"Shae, you'd better stand back too. In fact, you might be the most vulnerable if this goes wrong," he admonished sincerely. The way he saw it, this plan was either going to work really well, or backfire horribly and he would end up frying himself.

He put one finger carefully into the water, making sure it was entirely covered by water and not sticking out anywhere else. Once he was sure he'd taken measures to prevent haphazard lightning branches, he focused on the feeling of elemental lightning, the sharp and quick power, and pulled it from his dragoon spirit into himself. White sparks flew in all directions as the water became the perfect conduit for his surging energy. Lightning burst out of the ground in a frontward line, spewing dirt everywhere and triggered an obnoxiously loud explosion at the end of the sparking trail. All of the ebon-clad winglies were immediately alerted to their presence and started towards them hostilely.

Miranda brought her prepared bow into a firing position as Shae shoved Austin behind her and readied her hammer.

"Damn it," Wendel swore and clutched his dragoon spirit tightly within his fist expectantly. The tighter his grip became the more he was overtaken by an odd sensation.

"Damn it!" a male voice thundered profusely in rage. However the fury soon gave way to an insane fit laughter. "I don't need this thing to add you all to my collection! Here I come!" the voice declared tauntingly.

A strange, displaced bloodlust filled Wendel's senses and his fists began to shake.

"Don't!" Miranda snapped at him adamantly. "Don't transform!" she demanded sternly, perfectly reading the direction of his infuriated mind. "We can handle these sorry punks, save that for an emergency! There is no way in devildom that you two are experienced enough to hold that form for long and nobody needs to be unconscious right now," she reprimanded simply.

Wendel shook his head, trying to clear the odd occurrence out of it. Hearing voices wasn't a good sign and it left him with a bunch of troubling questions. Since this whole experience seemed to have originated from his dragoon spirit, maybe Miranda would know the answers, but now definitely wasn't the time.

"This is going to get me into trouble," Wendel muttered to himself, reason finally winning out over the disembodied bloodlust he'd just experienced. He quickly pocketed the lavender-colored sphere and took his fighting stance.

When Wendel looked around, he noticed that Shae was eyeing him with a look of confusion on her face. She held her own dimly glowing spirit in her hands and was looking at it doubtfully. He realized she must not know how to transform, and had presumably never done it before.

"Don't worry," he assured her as he moved into position beside her. "I'll explain it later," he promised.

Shae nodded as Miranda called her entire group to action. "Here they come men! Get ready for battle!" she ordered with a commanding presence. "We're under attack and that gives us the authority to fight back and act on the offensive from now on!" she shouted clearly. "And it's about damn time," she added with a snort. "We've been running around blind not being able to do anything due to strict diplomacy. Let's show them picking a fight with Knights of Deningrad is a serious mistake!" she declared powerfully. Miranda's fingers twitched as she loosed an arrow from her bow, but Wendel never saw where it went. In a blink, he was standing inside of a spacious, circular room lined with glowing glyphs on the walls.

An elderly wingly with a face deeply defined by wrinkles adorned in richly decorated turquoise robes greeted them, though he had a sincerely confused expression on his aged face.

"Ancestor Blano," Sister Miranda acknowledged with a heartfelt respect and bowed to him courteously. Her knighthood all stood at attention behind her, having recovered from the change of scenery and circumstance rather quickly. Feeling awkward and unsure how to act, Wendel bowed as well.

"Ancestor!" Shae blurted without so much as a hello as she ran up to him, "We need to do somethin', the forest's gonna be attacked! We need—"she breathed frantically.

The Ancestor politely held up a hand to silence her. "Take a deep breath my dear girl and then tell me everything. I'm sure there's a good reason why you are here with Sister Miranda and a warrior from rogue instead of on vacation and as to why you had to make such an explosive entrance back into your own home," he stated calmly.

Shae nodded and without a moment's hesitation she blurred urgently into a story about following someone named Bardel, his meeting with a demoness and everything he had said.

"DART AND SHANA! Are you sure!" Miranda suddenly interjected loudly in outrage as Shae spoke the words.

"Totally and I'm not even done yet," Shae affirmed as she caught her breath. "Ancestor Blano, they have Mrs. Shana and the rest of my family!" she cried with tears forming in her eyes. "They—"she continued desperately.

"Show us," Ancestor Blano insisted gravely. "It will be quicker if we see it," he explained seriously and gently placed his weathered hands on both sides of Shae's temples. A shimmer of colors lit the area and energy flowed between the two of them and onto a large, polished stone on the wall. Images began flashing across the stone's shiny surface like a flashback for everyone to see.

Events unfolded rapidly as they watched in silence. Wendel saw what must have been the rest of Shae's family peacefully walking along and suddenly a wingly, he assumed to be Bardel, popped out of nowhere with a small band of elves and winglies and started to attack them. He saw flashes of the fight and then a loud roar sounded through the chamber, fueled by Shae's intense memories. Moments later, an enormous creature that looked like a seriously overgrown trent watered with an entire stock-house of growth potions lumbered dangerously onto the stone.

Wendel watched as Shae and her family feebly attempted to fight against the monster. Light shimmered throughout the stone and then everything began to race by. He saw a field full of beleaguered looking people, the beach he'd found them on, and two pirates and a crate which he keenly observed. They must have been the ones she told him about, although he didn't get a good enough look to determine if he recognized them or not.

One by one Shae's memories flashes across the stone in rapid sequence, ending with Meru struggling desperately for freedom and failing and then Shae and Austin's clever escape from a large group of enemies in the tunnel.

The stone on the wall dimmed and became still, prompting several moments of stunned silence afterwards. The silent crowd included Wendel himself. He was astonished by the gravity of what he'd just witnessed. So it was true that Rogue hadn't been an isolated incident. Whatever was going on seemed to include a great deal of suffering people and had passed far beyond Marleus and Rogue. Worse still, it seemed to all be connected. His heart swelled with righteous rage when he thought about all the injustice he'd just witnessed and also with sympathy for Shae, whom had just been forcibly removed from her entire family and targeted like an animal by the elves and winglies. In the middle of the chaos of his jumbled thoughts, Rogue also kept resurfacing in his mind.

"Young one," Ancestor Blano said mournfully as he watched Wendel's expressions, "I can see it in your face that this travesty has already happened somewhere else. Rogue presumably?" he asked grievously.

Wendel nodded and clenched his fists. He actually started shaking with rage as he answered. "Yes. Rogue was attacked by a fleet of pirates that I now know are working for the elves, thanks to Shae. I've never seen those tree-creatures before, but Rogue was attacked by another kind of bizarre monster. They called it a lethandarik," he explained bitterly.

"Mr. Haschel and Mr. Kongol shoulda been able to take care of that thing no problem!" Shae commented confidently.

"Are they alright?" Sister Miranda interrupted in concern.

"They're both fine. I dealt with the thing," Wendel informed, "when Master Haschel gave me this," he furthered, removing his dragoon spirit for them to see.

Ancestor Blano nodded solemnly. "I see. Unfortunately this gives dire answers to many troubling questions that have been plaguing my mind recently. Shae, words cannot express the remorse in my heart over what has befallen your family. Until now, I merely thought the diminishing of my sight to be a product of natural age, you know that even magic weakens over long periods of time and I am no exception. But the two of you dragoons have awakened me and restored my clarity. Rest assured now that I am aware of the patterns of this particularly potent weave I will not fall prey to it again. But that is a little comfort compared to what we face now. For Lord Nvernias to be involved and seemingly be an instigator in this set of events, things have passed far beyond trifle. For these occurrences to be unfolding as timely, orderly, and complex as they are, the execution of this foul plot is something he has apparently been planning for a long time. We must act swiftly if we are to stand any chance at all for success," he surmised grimly.

Sister Miranda also had a grave resolution on her face, but also one of indignation. "Just who exactly is this guy?" she growled. "Nobody I know has ever even heard of him. At least Frahma everyone knew about and the first dragoons watched him like a hawk," she admitted crossly.

"It is not surprising that humankind has not heard the name," Ancestor Blano conceded. "It is ancient, and until just recently, the dark elves, though malicious, kept mainly to themselves. It was very rare for even our kind to have interactions with them at the height of our empire millennia ago. The elves are peculiar in that they seem to actually be immortal as opposed to us winglies. We merely live extremely long lives, sometimes spanning centuries. Nvernias is their current monarch, and he is the son of Nventhias, rumored to be one of the twelve Gods," the Ancestor explained.

Shae choked on her own breath. "One of the GODS?" Shae exclaimed in disbelief, mirroring Wendel's thoughts perfectly. "This guy is an immortal, and his dad is a GOD?"

"Calm down Shae," Miranda stated firmly. "I know what you must be thinking, but believe me when I say being a "GOD" doesn't make you indestructible. We WILL rescue your mother and no immortal bastard, God, half-god, or demon will stop us," she declared boldly. "The thing that bothers me is how long this bastard's remained under the map. What could he possibly want?" Miranda pondered aloud. "I mean, for well over my lifetime and even yours, Ancestor, this guy has been utterly silent and now out of the blue he starts plotting world domination? Why now of all times? What, if anything, has been stopping him before?" Miranda asked speculatively.

Ancestor Blano considered to himself for a moment. "I'm afraid I don't have the answer for you, Sister Miranda. The lore of the dark elves reaches back even further than any history I've heard, and their culture rarely records things, it's all passed orally and exclusively to those of them in power. But I do know this simple truth: everything reveals itself in due time," he replied earnestly.

Sister Miranda sighed and clenched her angered fists tightly at her sides. "Over thirty years ago we fought against Melbu Frahma and the God of Destruction. We thought we'd be able to live in peace and that the world would be safe….and now, despite everything we've done, some new psychopath popped up right in his place and established monumental advantages over us while we wandered around blind in the dark! How could this have happened? How did we not see this coming? This situation is more critical than you make it sound Ancestor, because new dragoons," Miranda ranted, staring at Shae and Wendel, "are only called when history requires them, I.E when everything is going straight to devildom in a hand-basket! This guy sounded so smug from what Shae heard that he must still have cards in his hand he hasn't played yet! And since he's managed to capture Shana all the way out in Seles this catastrophe has obviously spread well beyond Mille Seseu! Serdio is in danger and my guess is that Albert is as clueless to it as we were and if he's not, he still probably doesn't know the scope of what we do! Worse still, our enemies have dealt us a serious tactical blow! In destroying Furni, they've knocked out our source of cross-continent communications, so we have no way to warn anybody! And since those buffoons outside the forest know we're in here they likely have the place surrounded so my knights and I can't get back to Deningrad to tell Luanna and the others what's going on or get reinforcements! Damn it all!" She snarled loudly. "They've caught us with our pants down and tied our hands behind our backs!" Miranda swore vehemently, making some of her knights jump when she hissed at the end.

The First Sacred Sister took a deep breath to calm herself and rubbed her temple in frustration. "And," she began, passionate emotions returning to her assertive voice, "it gets even worse."

Wendel received a lurching feeling in the bottom of his stomach. Just what kind of mess had he just walked into? How could things possibly get any worse than they were right now? But then again, Master Haschel had always said that you never officially stopped falling until your butt hit the bottom. He'd also warned Wendel numerous times that when situations like this arise he shouldn't ask aloud how things could get any worse. It was bad karma, his master had explained, because you usually get what you ask for.

"Ancestor Blano, what I'm about to tell you is the original reason I was sent here to you to begin with," Miranda confessed. "It was supposed to be a diplomatic secret, however in light of recent events we now have more to worry about than peaceful matters of state. Ancestor, my mother, Queen Theresa is very sick and will die if we can't find a way to cure her," she admitted painfully.

Several of the Imperial knights behind Miranda shifted around uncomfortably the moment they heard the words. Wendel guessed that this was news to everyone present except Sister Miranda herself.

"Our best doctor has examined her and believes it to be radiation poisoning from the shards of the wingly signet sphere that resided there all those years ago. I came to you because I know that you would have more information on such a matter, being the elder of your forest. I also came personally to discover what was happening to my knights since I am head of the army, which isn't a mystery anymore," Miranda continued sourly as a side note. "I left Luanna in charge while I am away and the people feel safe with her, but I highly doubt she'll be able to keep them from panic if open war is declared. On the other hand, if we don't inform the people of what's happening and make an outright stand, then we are making their ignorance no more than a superficial veil of safety. We'd be extremely vulnerable because these bastards are apparently going to attack us whether we resist or not," she expressed sagely. "Since the winglies are also in danger, I feel I have no choice but to ask you for your help," she finished reluctantly.

Wendel knew just from the expression on Sister Miranda's face that asking for help must have been extraordinarily difficult for her. It would definitely be characteristic of her from what Master Haschel had told him as well.

Ancestor Blano sighed softly. "The first thing that any leader, wingly or otherwise, is obligated to do is to be honest to our people. We can't very well ask them, even our warriors, to fight against something like this blindly or without knowing why. Unfortunately Sister Miranda most of my people are not warriors; therefore I feel we'll be of little assistance in that regard. Secondly, I fear that as Shae has so recently revealed to me, that we are in the midst of several traitors that wish me ill, to put it lightly. I cannot safely aid another people in an external attack when I am being assaulted from within," he responded remorsefully. "Though I will gladly tell you what I know of the signet spheres once we have cleared this immediate threat."

Miranda frowned deeply. "So where does this leave us?"

Ancestor Blano thought for a moment. "Shae?" he began.

"Yes, Ancestor?" she answered curiously.

"When you teleported into that field were there more elves or humans?" he asked suggestively.

"People, I think," she replied, recollecting carefully.

"Wait, I think I get where you're going with this," Miranda acknowledged. "If we could somehow get the people of the city to band together and make a stand then we could reinforce them instead of having to rally them. After of course, we help you take out your trash."

"But what are we gonna do about those tree-thingys!" Shae prompted in concern.

The Ancestor nodded. "I might be able to drive them back with some help from you dragoons," he offered, looking at them.

"Us?" Shae gulped, "But what can we do?"

"A great deal more than you realize my dear. After all, yours is the power that brought our mighty people to our knees. Your elemental magic is second to none," the Ancestor encouraged.

"If they know how to use it," Miranda remarked, unconvinced.

"Don't look at me," Shae protested defensively, "I just got this thing."

"Well that's going to be a problem. Fortunately, I know how to fix it. And how about you?" Miranda said nonchalantly turning to Wendel. "I don't think I ever got your name."

"Yeah, sorry about that," he apologized. "Please just call me Wendel. I've already fought as a dragoon before, so I have some experience but not a whole lot," he confessed modestly.

Miranda nodded appreciatively. "It's a start. My guess is that Haschel was at least able to give you some instruction from what you said earlier. Well, between the two of us, I think we'll be able to help Shae in that department. I hope you learn as fast as you talk Shae," Miranda asserted sincerely, causing the teenage wingly to blush embarrassedly.

"Yeah, but we still have to deal with that mondo weird barrier," Shae reminded.

"I've been assessing that particular enchantment for the last several minutes," Ancestor Blano announced. "The magic is very powerful, but very simple in construction. It was a spell that came out of my own archives I believe, and the elves have only added minor modifications. This particular enchantment is held active by four seals on the inside of the barrier. They will be scattered, but always must hold a square pattern. Another felicitous turn of events for us is that these seals are not particularly difficult to dispose of. You merely have to overload them with energy to destroy them," the Ancestor explained.

"Like the Signet Spheres?" Miranda mumbled under breath.

"The what's-its?" Shae repeated strangely.

"Never mind," Miranda corrected quickly.

Ancestor Blano nodded to the Sacred Sister. "Exactly like them. But we must remember these seals are inside the barrier. To destroy them, we will need agents to infiltrate the city."

Wendel stepped forward without hesitation. "I will go for sure. I needed to get into Furni anyway to find and rescue our Mayor. If you can help me to pinpoint the locations of these things, I'll gladly destroy them while I'm inside," he volunteered.

Shae bobbed her head agreeably and gracefully twirled to stand beside him, though she trembled slightly. "You're not goin' anywhere without me buster! Us dragoons should stick together! Besides that, those creeps have my family and I gotta save them!" she declared with gusto.

Wendel nodded appreciatively. "And with Sister Miranda, that makes three dragoons so we should be more than able to take care of whatever they've prepared for us," he affirmed.

"Not quite I'm afraid," the Sacred Sister answered curtly with a sullen expression.

"What happened?" Shae asked quietly. "Mom's dragoon spirit was actin' all wacky too before she gave it to me."

"I don't have mine anymore," Miranda responded flatly. "My daughter, Liora, does."

"Well great, maybe she can help us," Shae supplied hopefully.

"That won't be possible because my daughter ran away about a week ago. I have absolutely no idea where she is," Miranda stated sourly.

"Oh," Shae replied in an awkward voice, "I'm sorry."

"Well if she was headed anywhere out of the country she'd need to pass through Furni first," Wendel pointed out reasonably.

"And that's supposed to comfort me?" Miranda growled sarcastically. "She's clueless, alone, and outgunned even as a dragoon! She doesn't even know how to transform! She ran off without thinking and for all I know right now she's been captured, killed, or worse," she continued miserably through gritted teeth.

Wendel felt immensely sorry for the Sacred Sister. She'd just been placed under a monumental amount of stress with matters of state and security on top of what he could only guess would be every mother's worst nightmare.

"But don't these dragoon spirits draw us to each other?" Shae asked thoughtfully. "I think I remember mom sayin' somethin' like that once."

"It's true," Miranda affirmed, regaining her composure.

"Then there is a good chance that we will run into her," Wendel acknowledged, "and if she's in trouble we'll be able to help her out. But we're not going anywhere fast by standing around here. How do we get in?"

"There might be more tunnels lying around somewhere," Shae said admittedly. "We could use the tunnel I came out of, but Bar-smell and his goons know where to find it and it's probably still filled with water," she added.

Miranda shook her head. "Never use an entrance a second time if you can help it because you've lost the element of surprise," she admonished as she eyed Shae. "But I agree with you in that a waterway would be an excellent idea."

Shae blinked slowly, realization dawning on her. "I know it can work for me, but what about somebody else too?"

"I don't know about just anyone else, but it will most definitely work on another dragoon. Dart told me once that he was able to use the spirit of the Red-Eye Dragon to evoke the healing powers of the White-Silver Dragon. Wendel, using your spirit alongside Shae's might start a reaction that will allow you to breathe underwater as well. The two of you might be able to swim into Furni through one of the canals undetected this way if your luck holds out."

"It'll work Shae!" Austin piped suddenly from behind her. "It worked on me! When you pulled me under the water I was really scared, but then there was this really weird light and I could breathe just like I was a fish!"

"There you have it," Miranda answered shortly.

"Well, that's that, but what are you going to do, Sister Miranda? And what about you, Ancestor Blano? How are you going to separate the good from the bad?" Wendel asked, perplexed.

"I need to find a way to get back to Deningrad and rally our army so we can assist you, Ancestor Blano. Then together we can help Furni in any way that we can," Miranda affirmed. "But not before I teach Shae how to become a dragoon," she added resolutely.

Ancestor Blano nodded. "I think, with some help from the dragoons, I will be able to muster up enough power to teleport you and your men back to Deningrad. As far as separating the traitors amongst us, I also have an idea. I will need your assistance for this as well dragoons, if you would. We'll set a trap for these followers of Dashen Junior's. I will seal off the borders to the forest, so no one will be able to move in or out. Then we will pretend that Dashen Jr. has captured you Shae. Wendel, I will be able to temporarily disguise you as Dashen for as long as you maintain a dragoon form and are able to fly. I will also magically amplify your masqueraded voice and have you summon all of your "followers' to you. I will come out to you and make it appear as though I am surrendering and then our dear Shae will spring the trap. She will freeze them into place with her dragoon ice magic, and then I will take care of the rest," the Ancestor devised.

"Sounds good to me," Wendel replied, "but it's like Sister Miranda said. I can't hold a transformation for very long and when it's over I'm beyond tired."

"Take these," Ancestor Blano offered, opening his hand where four tiny vials full of neon-pink fluid materialized. "These will help you some," he assured.

"What are they?" Wendel asked curiously.

"Spirit potions," Miranda answered for him, "They're an invaluable thing to have on hand. Those will help you be able to function after the exertion of a transformation."

"Okay. Gottcha," Shae affirmed, taking mental note. "Now how do I do this thingy?" she squeaked nervously, pulling out her dragoon spirit.

"Stand back everyone," Miranda instructed firmly as she turned to face Shae. "There are several ways to go about it. Often times the most efficient way is to think about something really emotional, something powerful like rage. Can you do that?"

Shae nodded submissively and closed her eyes. Her eyelids twitched as she focused and her face began to turn red. Her whole body began shaking as she willed herself to change. Moments passed, and nothing happened. This surprised Wendel slightly; it had been fairly easy for him to transform the first time and he was certain he could do it again if asked without a problem.

Shae opened her eyes and pouted. "I guess it didn't work. I think it would help if I knew what it felt like so I had somethin' to go on," she sighed regretfully.

Without warning, Sister Miranda drew an arrow, notched it, and fired aiming directly for Shae's heart. Wendel could clearly see the terror in Shae's eyes when she realized she wasn't going to be able to dodge it.

Wendel's entire body tensed. His reflexes were quick enough and he might still have time to grab the arrow before it hit her. He felt his feet begin to move and he was harshly reprimanded by Sister Miranda. "Stay where you are!" she barked sternly.

"SHAE! LOOK OUT SHAE!" Austin wailed in terror from behind his sister.

Wendel's eyes widened in shock when he realized what was actually happening. The Sacred Sister hadn't been aiming for Shae at all. At the last possible second the arrow sailed about an inch under Shae's left arm and spiraled menacingly towards her brother.

Two things amazed Wendel. First was just how much skill Sister Miranda possessed in archery and secondly was how fast Shae reacted once she figured out that her brother was in danger. She spun on her toes swiftly and gracefully, flinging herself at her brother and tackling him just as the arrow was about to make impact.

Wendel shielded his eyes from the blinding blue light that ensued. A wintry chill passed through the air as a large block of baby-blue ice engulfed the area where Shae had previously been standing. Sister Miranda's projectile glanced harmlessly off of its exterior and within seconds the ice shattered into crystalline dust. Revealed within was a beautiful being adorned with gleaming blue armor. Wendel was stunned by the sight of the dragoon Shae; the ice dust lingering around her body was catching the interior light of the chamber and casting a rainbow shimmer around her like a halo.

Wendel saw that in those nanoseconds after the transformation, Shae had thrown her wings protectively around Austin and was clutching him tightly to her chest. Her eyes were clenched shut until hearing her brother's small voice made her open them.

"Shae is that you?" Austin breathed in amazement.

She looked down at him and startled herself as she caught sight of her sky blue wings. She let go of him in surprise and looked over her shoulder, flexing her wings. Her curiosity was brief and she whirled toward Sister Miranda in a huff.

"ARE YA CRAZY! Ya could have killed him!" the water dragoon bellowed furiously.

Miranda nodded calmly. "Exactly. And because the danger was real, so was the sense of urgency in your heart. That emotion, that fear of losing someone close to you, is one of the most powerful feelings there is. I could stand around all day telling you what to do and we wouldn't have gotten anywhere because your motivations have to be real and honestly, I couldn't think of a better way to get you there faster," she admitted bluntly.

Shae blinked. "You're a scary teacher. Remind me not to make you mad."

"How do you feel? Are you alright?" Wendel asked, surveying her as he stepped forward.

Shae nodded excitedly from where she hovered in the air. "I feel great! This is totally amazing! I've never felt anything like this!"

"That's because there is nothing like it," Miranda assured. "Not let's go over this quickly before your energy drains and you lose the transformation. Listen up Wendel, because you can benefit from this too. Casting dragoon magic is fairly simple, you just pull on the power of your element and throw that energy out in front of yourself. Let your dragoon spirits guide you; they know what they're doing. Shae, Meru's simplest dragoon spell was—"

"—Freezing Ring," Shae finished her with an odd look on her face. "I kinda…. Never mind," she correctly quickly. "Do ya want me to cast it?" she asked expectantly.

Miranda nodded. "Ancestor Blano would you please conjure some targets for her?" the Sacred Sister requested politely.

The old wingly waved his hands and several stone pillars with glowing green grooves rose from the floor.

Shae sighed. "I don't know if I can hit all of those. This spell seems like it's only meant for one thingy at a time, or at least that's the feeling I'm gettin'," she admitted sheepishly.

"Focus," Wendel encouraged, "If you do you'll find that you can do a lot more than you expected. That's always been true in martial arts and it's true here too."

"I'll try," the sea dragoon promised. Grabbing her hammer, Shae spun around in a circle, drawing the moisture in the air to her as big shards of ice coalesced into being levitating around her. She closed her eyes to focus and the circle of revolving ice pulled more closely into her body. Shae fiercely snapped her eyes open and the ice ring instantly expanded to twice the size it had been before, fueled by her icy energy. She pulled her armored hand back and then thrust it forward pointing a finger towards the targets. Her back arched forward and she called out loudly, "FREEZING RING!"

The ice blocks soared forward and smashed into the bases of the practice poles. As the enchanted ice made contact, frost began creeping up the sides like interlocking, rigid ivy until at last each of the poles was encased in solid, crystal ice.

"I did it!" Shae shouted exuberantly, simultaneously causing her to flap her wings subconsciously and spring into the air. The moment she broke her concentration the ice on the poles shattered, blasting the columns apart into several pieces.

She blushed. "Oops! Was that supposed to happen?" she asked embarrassedly. "I hope I don't do that to Bardel's goons…I mean they're nasty but they don't deserve to die."

"They deserve far worse after what they've done," Miranda growled, "but yes, that was supposed to happen."

"But what about—" Shae began quietly, repulsed with the idea of actually killing someone, not to say Wendel could blame her.

"Don't worry," Ancestor Blano reassured, "I'll intercept them before you get to that stage. I just need you to immobilize them for a moment."

"We'll have to draw them in close together so it will be easier for her," Wendel noted. "I think I can try to corral them with some of my magic, but I can't affect anything over a really large area," he explained.

"We'll help you with that, won't we men?" Miranda called out decisively.

"Yes Ma'am!" they shouted in unison.

"When you spring the trap we'll form and hold a perimeter," she added.

"Whoa…." Shae moaned grabbing her head. "Oh boy, I don't feel so good…."

"—catch—" Miranda started, but Wendel had already been moving. A blue light enveloped Shae and in seconds she was back to her old self and falling limply to the ground. Wendel jumped up and lightly caught her out of the air with ease. He gently set her down on the ground and leaned her upright.

"Okay Shae, drink one of these things," he instructed, putting a pink vial to her lips, "and we'll see if they work."

Shae nodded feebly, barely able to stay conscious. She drank the liquid as best as she was able with some minor help from Wendel. To his relief, the potion took effect immediately. The sparkle came back into Shae's eyes and she smoothly jumped to her feet.

"Good as new! Alrighty let's go!" she announced with enthusiasm.

"Wow, that was fast," Wendel remarked in amazement.

"It's a good thing too. They said they'd attack the forest in two days, but in truth they could attack at anytime and with inside agents running around it would be chaos," Miranda reminded grimly. "We need both of you at full capacity."

"Are we ready then?" Wendel asked, looking around himself.

"Not quite," Ancestor Blano replied, "I have two more people that I was going to speak with today that need to be present. They should be here any minute actually, and I think it would be prudent for them to know what is going on."

"Who?" Shae asked, perplexed.

As if on cue, the teleporter at the edge of the room buzzed to life and two solid forms materialized out of it. When they settled, Wendel saw a wingly couple that was getting on in the years, as evident by the dark grey hues in their platinum hair. Both of them had prominent blue eyes that reminded him of Shae's. To confirm his hunch, Shae and Austin recognized them immediately.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" they exclaimed together. Austin ran up to them and into his grandmother's surprised, but open arms.

"Austin! Shae! I thought the two of you were with your parents," the old woman wingly started slowly as her piercing eyes scanned him over. "My God," she exclaimed in shock after a moment, "You're hurt! What happened!"

"Where's Meru and Guaraha?" the old male asked suddenly in concern, noting their absence immediately. "Damn," he swore strongly as he looked at his grandson. "I hate to say it but it looks like we had every reason to be concerned about our family's sudden vacation and the Kristens' house catching fire," he added seriously.

"WHAT!" Shae yelped in disbelief. "Grandpa are the Kristens okay? Was anybody hurt?" she asked urgently.

He shook his head. "No. They were really lucky. Everybody got out in time and several people used water magic to put out the fire before it could spread. Unfortunately though, the house was severely damaged. That's why I was coming here to talk to the Ancestor. As I was helping put out the fire I found traces that lead me to believe someone set it deliberately. Not just that, but several people seemed really reluctant to help us put out the blaze, so I think it could have been any of them. I personally think we should watch that band around the Bardels'. It's hardly a secret that they weren't thrilled allowing humans to live among us!"

"Yeah!" Shae choked out agreeably, "Grandpa," she continued, "Bardel's a total scumbag! He—"

The Ancestor raised his hand for silence. "I'll explain," he assured and wasted no time in relaying everything to the couple whom listened intently with grave expressions.

"Soa help us! Our family! Our poor Meru and Guaraha…. and the children must be so scared!" the old woman yelped miserably as the old man clenched his fists.

"This whole shenanigan of Bardel's is ludicrous! Who would have thought he would even be capable of something like this? And Shae, it's not sitting easy with me that you're now a dragoon and what you're about to do is VERY dangerous. I think you should reconsider!" her grandfather seethed, though not at anyone present. "These people obviously mean to kill you and you're just going to walk out to them openly?" he continued, highly displeased.

"We don't want anything to happen to you, sweetie. We don't want to see you get hurt," Shae's grandmother affirmed quietly.

"Somebody's gotta do somethin' grandpa!" Shae asserted righteously. "They'd come after me even if I wasn't actin' as bait and," she admitted dreadfully, "Probably you guys too."

Ancestor Blano nodded. "I do believe that your safety at present is in danger. This following of Bardel's hasn't grown bold enough to try anything directly in front of me, but as we have been informed they will be attempting a violent coup d'état very soon."  
"So we've decided to strike first," Wednel explained, punching a balled fist into his hand for emphasis.

"We're coming too," the old male wingly exclaimed suddenly. "You can't expect us to take this lying down Ancestor!"

The Ancestor shook his head. "I know how you feel Thomas, but you must stay here. You and Marie should stay with Austin. I fear anyone with the surname Zanum will be an immediate target when this uprising starts and you will be safer in this tower with me."

"Only one of us needs to stay with him. I'll stay," the old woman wingly named Marie offered.

"You should listen to the Ancestor, grandpa," Shae recommended softly, "You remember what happened the last time ya tried to cast a big spell? Ya threw your back out big time! I mean, I know it's gonna be dangerous, but I'm not alone. I've got Wendel with me!" Shae soothed with a smile as she walked over and put an arm around his shoulders.

"You two have fought together before then?" Thomas asked keenly.

Shae looked at her shoes. "Well, not exactly, but he looks tough! Look at his muscles!" Shae exclaimed poking Wendel's biceps.

Wendel blushed as she poked him again, making his arm twitch.

Thomas raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Quit that!" Wendel insisted embarrassedly as Shae continued to prod at his upper arm.

"Sorry," she apologized playfully, before she turned back to her grandfather with a serious look. "Wendel says he's from Rogue and that he's Mr. Haschel's student! Remember how tough Mr. Haschel was? Mom told you about him! If he's anything at all like his teacher then ya've got nothin' to worry about!" Shae declared confidently.

"How tough he was?" Wendel laughed aloud, "How about how tough he IS."

"And besides," Shae continued excitedly, "Wendel's a dragoon too!"

Thomas shook his head. "Both of you are still too young to wield such an enormous power."

"So was Meru, dear," Marie reminded, "but you believed in her."

"I guess. I still don't like this, but I guess you're old enough to take care of yourself. Fine, I will stay here. Thank you Ancestor for alerting us to this danger before something even more disastrous could happen," Thomas finished reluctantly.

"It really is for the best," Miranda reassured. "But I wouldn't worry too much about missing out on the action this time. I have the feeling we're going to need all the help we can get to fend off those shavatmaw even after we cage these lackeys," she continued grimly.

"Umm, Ancestor?" Shae asked, confused. "What exactly are shava-whatsits? I mean I heard that Nvernias guy talk about 'em but I haven't got a clue what they are."

"Me either," Wendel confessed.

"Shavatmaw are known in the common tongue as minotaurs. They are creatures said to be a cross between a human and a savage bull. They possess enormous physical strength and are resistant to most types of magic," the Ancestor explained gravely.

"Wow, they sound like a problem," Wendel admitted truthfully, suddenly becoming concerned. "Are you sure you don't want us to stay and help you fend them off after we've dealt with Bardel's goons?" he offered sincerely.

"You two need to get into Furni before our plan to retake it stands even a small chance of success. Not to mention that every second you waste here is one that could mean life or death for your Mayor or Shae's family. Oh don't look so worried," Miranda coaxed, "Minotaurs may be strong, but they are incredibly stupid. A rock could outfox one," she assured.

"The elves are what I'm worried about," Shae gulped. "They have magic power and it might be stronger than ours."

Ancestor Blano chuckled. "Not if we stand together. That is one lesson dear Meru taught us. We will always be stronger together," he repeated looking to Sister Miranda powerfully, "than we would ever be divided."

Miranda saluted him respectfully. "Alright, everything's settled. We have a plan, so let's execute it before something happens to prevent it. Everybody outside," she commanded stoutly to her men. "Move out!"

There was the clanking of metal armor as they all filed onto the teleporter and disappeared. Once they were gone Ancestor Blano nodded to them.

"Are you ready?" he asked keenly. Wendel and Shae both nodded their approval. "Alright then, go on outside."

"Wait Shae!" Austin exclaimed emotionally as he ran up to his sister and hugged her tightly. "Be careful, okay?" he insisted fearfully.

Shae hugged him back lovingly and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Austin. These idiots won't be any match for your super-terrific big sister! I'll be back before ya know it! Be good for grandma and grandpa, do what they say," she reminded gently as she released him.

"We're counting on you dear," the woman wingly, Marie added gently as she and Shae embraced.

"Can do! Be back soon," Shae reaffirmed brightly as she and Wendel made their way outside.

Moments later they were on a large stone platform suspended magically in the air. Looking around, Wendel couldn't find any physical evidence of Sister Miranda or her knights but he could clearly sense them watching from various places nearby. It wasn't a revealing sensation; he guessed that most of the winglies probably wouldn't notice. He suspected Master Haschel's training in the use of all his senses was the only reason he knew where they were to begin with. While he was reflecting on senses, Wendel came to the realization that he hadn't sensed their hidden observer since they entered the Wingly forest. It seemed like whoever was following them hadn't been able to enter the forest. A strange tingle passed down his spine from his dragoon spirit with the thought. _Do you know who's following us?_ He asked it inwardly_._

Shae surfaced behind him and bumped into his back, seeing as he'd paused to think on the teleporter.

"Hey, move it slowpoke," she remarked teasingly and gave him a gentle push. "Don't even think about backin' out now buster."

"Sorry about that. Don't worry, I'll see it through," Wendel promised as he stepped off the teleporter.

Ancestor Blano was next through the magical device. "Alright. Shae, get down on your knees please," he instructed and as she did so, thick, glowing ropes wrapped around her body, immobilizing her.

"Is she going to be able to get out of those?" Wendel asked with worry as she watched her struggle against the confines, testing them out.

"I will release the magical aspects of them when we're ready. Remember that this must look convincing," the Ancestor reminded.

"That reminds me," Wendel sighed, "I've never met this guy before, I've got no idea how he acts. I've only seen about two minutes of him."

"That's super easy," Shae remarked from the ground, "Just act like a complete and total jackass."

Wendel laughed, despite himself.

"But seriously, he acts all superior n' stuff and he's really racist and he super, super HATES my family," Shae explained. "Ya might have to slap me or somethin' to make this look real," she admitted.

Wendel was immediately repulsed by the idea. "No way! I don't want to hurt you. I never hit people if I can help it, especially not my friends!" he insisted with revulsion.

"Just do it. She's right. You don't have to beat her up, just grab her hair or something," Miranda hissed from somewhere unseen to his right.

Wendel frowned. "I guess. But only if I really have to."

"Don't worry, I won't hold it against ya," Shae assured genuinely.

He nodded. "Right then, here we go. The hourglass is draining," he reminded. He searched his heart for a powerful feeling. He thought about the people in his hometown, the Mayor, the people in Furni and Shae's dilemma. One after another the feelings of injustice grew until at last it culminated into a righteous fury. Someone was going to pay for all of this suffering and he was going to make it happen. A blackness engulfed him and in the darkness lightning crackled to life, zapping armor and wings onto his body. In a final flash Wendel punched the darkness apart with a burst of lightning from his fist.

Shae looked up at him in admiration from the ground. "That was totally cool! It was electric!" she laughed, making Wendel snort. Master Haschel would have said something similar if he were here. If he were here, he undoubtedly would have told Wendel not to worry and to concentrate. The young thunder dragoon knew he only had one shot at this and if his timing was off even by a few seconds things were going to get ugly.

"Here we go," Ancestor Blano remarked, waving his hand over Wendel's body. In seconds Wendel was a mirror image of the wingly named Bardel. "The forest is your stage, speak!" he ushered.

Wendel cleared his throat. "ANCESTOR!" he thundered in a voice clearly not his own, "HEAR ME! YOUR TIME IS AT AN END!" he shouted as egotistically as he could muster. After a moment's pause, he proceeded to act out his part telling everyone that he despised the Ancestor and his policies and that he was outdated and weak. He pronounced boldly that he had killed Shae's family and captured Shae and he threatened to kill her if the Ancestor didn't surface. He informed everyone that he had the entire forest surrounded by Shavatmaw and that he was ready to destroy it without a moment's notice. Sounding as cocky as he could manage the thunder dragoon finished with, "COME MY BRETHEREN! OUR PLAN IS COMPLETE! OUR HOUR IS NOW!"

Wendel crossed his fingers and prayed that he had given a satisfactory performance. He didn't have to worry long, the plan worked like a charm. Within minutes several dozen winglies had materialized on the spot. He heard Shae gulp and he could understand her reservations. He'd been expecting maybe five or six but at present their number exceeded twenty. He waited silently for several more moments, allowing what seemed to be the last of the traitors to come onto the scene.

One of the winglies actually spit at Shae, and it took a great deal of restraint for Wendel to keep his lip from curling in disgust. He'd really only just met this girl, but for some odd reason he felt highly protective of her as if he'd known her his whole life.

"So, you finally dealt with those Zanum scum?" one of the newly-arrived winglies jeered ruthlessly.

Wendel nodded wordlessly, causing the wingly to eye him oddly. Wendel guessed that silence was something Bardel didn't normally engage in and he was going to blow his cover prematurely if he didn't do something. With his inner self writhing in contempt for what he was about to do, he walked over and grabbed a handful of Shae's hair roughly and pulled her head up for all of them to see. "All but this one and I'm going to deal with her a lot sooner if that old geezer doesn't come out soon," he growled.

"You should just kill her now Dashen, we don't need her to waste one old wingly now that our backup is waiting outside!" another egged.

"Yeah, I would have thought you'd have killed the bitch by now! That was Nvernias' order, wasn't it? It's unlike you, Dashen," yet another wingly remarked suspiciously.

"I—"Wendel began unsure of what to do, "—I've been waiting for the right moment. The Ancestor might give into us without fighting if he's disillusioned enough to think he can exchange his life," he snarled gruffly, "for hers."

"That's true," one remarked, "he is an old fool."

"Did you get the dragoon spirit?" a female wingly asked eagerly from the crowd.

Wendel improvised, realizing that if he didn't take it someone else was going to and that would be a disaster. "Oh, you mean this wretched thing?" he sneered and roughly snapped the silver chain around Shae's neck pulling the sky blue stone into view. "Problem solved."

Wendel could see the confused expression on Shae's face and he desperately wanted to explain, but any condescending gesture would give him away. An idea formed in Wendel's mind and he held the glimmering dragoon spirit out towards the crowd.

"So, let's have a look at this thing," he suggested and as he had hoped they all huddled closer around him to get a better view.

"Now then," he hissed. "ANCESTOR THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! COME OUT NOW!"

As planned, the Ancestor materialized on the teleporter and opened his arms placidly in a gesture of surrender. "I hear you Dashen and it seems like I have no choice but to give in to your demands to avoid bloodshed. I am listening to your terms."

Wendel should have known that nothing ever goes precisely to plan; Master Haschel and personal experience had always made that much clear. Instead of waiting for Wendel to speak one of the insider agents chose to act of his own volition to speed things up.

"Don't listen, just die old wingly!" someone in the crowd yelled with zeal and this was met by shouts of approval from the rest. Before he could counteract what had occurred, they all simultaneously conjured fireballs and took aim.

"Let's do it Dashen! He can't block them all!" the inciter yelled exuberantly. "Let's kill him and let the others in!"

"ANCESTOR!" Shae screamed in alarm, realizing that nothing they did would reach him in time.

"Your majesty Doel, many are speaking of the latest attempt on your life by those Basil dogs! Never mind how they got in, how did you manage to escape their attack?" a strange voice asked him.

"On the contrary, Greyham. How they managed to get in is of the utmost importance, it will pave the way for others if left undiscovered. But as for my escape, this thing Lloyd gave me saved my life. He claims it is from Emperor Diaz, and were it anyone else that said such things to me, I'd kill him for madness where he stood," the man named Doel answered. "I see the questions in your eyes. It works like this," the man continued.

Suddenly Wendel knew what he needed to do. After hearing this auditory oddity, a series of images ran through his mind of strange people and places. The last of the images were three people he swore he knew from somewhere. There was a woman wearing a blue outfit trimmed with gold and long black hair, a man with sandy blonde hair and a green cape wielding a spear and another man in scarlet red armor with unruly blonde hair. The three charged him together and were instantly repulsed by a lightning shield.

"FIRE!" he heard someone yell, bringing him back to the present reality. They didn't even wait for his order before they loosed a barrage of fireballs.

There was no time like the present to blow his cover. "SURGE SHIELD!" he thundered, summoning the magic from within his dragoon spirit. He swiftly threw a ball of lightning aiming over the Ancestor. The sparking sphere rippled into a ring as it traveled and sank solidly around the Ancestor, forming a crackling dome of encompassing electricity. There fireballs impacted the shield violently, causing a resounding explosion, but when the smoke cleared and the shield shorted out, the Ancestor remained unharmed.

Immediately, thirty or more pairs of hostile, astonished eyes turned to him in a rage. "You're not Dashen!" one screeched in fury and launched himself at Wendel.

The Ancestor's illusion faded as Wendel snapped his armored foot into the oncoming wingly's face. "You got that right slime ball," he declared powerfully as his attacker flew backwards into another group of three.

"DRAGOON!" he heard several of them yell in unison.

"No kidding," Wendel affirmed and in one solid motion of his sparking fist he severed Shae's ropes and pulled her to her feet. "Here," he said quickly, handing her back her dragoon spirit. "They're all yours! Go for it!" he urged.

"It's a trap!" one of the wingly group yelled as they tried to scatter.

"NOW!" Sister Miranda ordered as she and her company sprang from their hiding places firing arrows that pushed the disoriented winglies back together. "Nobody's going anywhere!" the Sacred Sister shouted at them menacingly.

Wendel felt a familiar draft and saw a block of ice beside him. The block shattered, sending a cold mist across Wendel's exposed face. The dragoon Shae wasted no time in getting to work.

Shae called the ice to her and then sent it flying. "FREEZING RING!" she shouted and ice sprang up from all around them, ensnaring the feet of the militant winglies and effectively trapping them in place.

"WHAT THE DEVILDOM!" someone yelled.

"LET ME GO!" came the voice of another.

"I can't move!" somebody else yelled, horrified.

Wendel could see the strain holding the magic in place was causing Shae. "Hurry Ancestor I can't hold this!" she pleaded in a strained voice.

The Ancestor immediately threw up his arms and chanted something Wendel couldn't decipher. Almost instantly the ice around the traitors hardened into rock which crept over their bodies and petrified them in place. After several seconds, everything was quiet and still. Wendel took a look at the scene around himself. Only those fighting on the side of the Ancestor remained standing, everyone else had been solidified with looks of shock still plastered to their faces.

Wendel was suddenly seeing spots as several flashes of bright light lit the surrounding area. More winglies materialized all around them, causing the dragoon Wendel to immediately take a ready stance alongside Shae in the air. Had they really missed so many? His unease quickly turned into relief as he surveyed their faces.

"Ancestor!" one started in worry, "Are you alright?"

"Where's Bardel?" Another hissed in fury.

"Is Shae okay?" Wendel heard someone else shout from the masses.

"I'm fine," Wendel heard Shae declare from beside him.

"You two are—" he heard one of the recent crowd proclaim uncertainly.

"Dragoons and we should be thanking them for their assistance," the Ancestor announced calmly.

Wendel was starting to feel increasingly dizzy with every moment that passed. "Ancestor," he began woozily.

"Come down from there before you fall. Both of you," Miranda stated firmly.

"Yeah, I don't feel so great," Shae agreed. Her feet had just touched the ground when she lost her transformation.

Wendel wasn't far behind her. He fell the last foot or so onto the ground, exhausted. He reached into his gi pocket once his armor had faded and retrieved the spirit potion. He and Shae both drank simultaneously, allowing their energy to return.

"Sister Miranda you're here too? And these statues are—Ancestor? What happened here?" a tall wingly with short hair asked, stepping forward to speak for the confused masses.

"I will explain Arty, but first I would like for you to gather all of our adults and bring them here. This matter is dire," the Ancestor explained seriously.

"Yes sir. Right away," Arty replied and in a flash he disappeared along with a few others to rally the forest. It didn't take long and before Wendel knew it, he was surrounded on all sides by hundreds of winglies, all of whom were chatting amongst themselves nervously.

"Everyone is here Ancestor, please go ahead," the wingly named Arty informed.

Ancestor Blano nodded and after calling for silence he wasted no time in explaining the situation. Wendel was mildly surprised that the Ancestor told his people everything without omission save the bit Shae had divulged about the elves looking for objects. Once he had finished there was a mass commotion; some people were crying out with outrage, while others whispered in fearful voices, and some simply were stunned speechless.

"What are we going to do, Ancestor? We can't possibly fight this," one wingly called out, silencing the others.

"Not alone," the Ancestor admitted.

"You're not alone. Deningrad is prepared to stand beside you," Sister Miranda declared powerfully.

"Fight alongside humans?" one called out uncertainly.

"It's either that or fight alone. One way or another evil is coming for all of us. We share a common enemy, let's face him together!" Miranda encouraged stoutly.

"That's right! My mom has always said that we're stronger when we work together!" Shae called out proudly.

"And," Wendel began, pulling out his dragoon spirit which shone a brilliant purple, "Shae and I will help you as dragoons, you have our word."

This plethora of assurance seemed to be pleasing to the wingly people, especially the last bit. They were looking around at each other and nodding appreciatively.

"It's evident that we don't have much choice. I believe in Meru's philosophy. In over thirty years we have only had very few unpleasantries with humans. I will do what I can to help," Arty agreed with a murmur of approval from the crowd.

"It gladdens my old heart to know that at last we can finally stand together. I only wish Meru where here right now to see this. I will advise you all with further details within the day to come, but now I urge you to return to your children. I must converse with Sister Miranda and the dragoons," the Ancestor dismissed gently.

"We'll await your orders, Ancestor," Arty assured as the wingly crowd began to disperse.

"Now then," Ancestor Blano said turning back to them, "the time has come to send all of you on your way. Dragoons, please take this," he requested, waving his hand. A gemmed bracelet suddenly appeared in his opposite hand.

"What's that? It's cool-lookin'," Shae stated in awe.

"This is an heirloom to our people Shae. It was my father's," he explained.

"Wow! That thingy is really old then!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"And by the feel of it, also very powerful," Miranda supplied.

"You are both correct. This bracelet is charged with energy from times long past. Although it is now nothing compared to what it once was, I believe it still holds enough power to aid us now. Take it Shae. It should activate once you get to the seals that are holding that evil shield erect. It should destroy them, but you will have to be prepared. It will not likely do so quietly," he warned.

"Quickly in, quickly out. Got it," Wendel assured.

"And there are four?" Miranda reiterated.

"Yes. It would be logical to assume there is one in each corner of the city," he related.

"Is there anythin' else ya can tell us Ancestor?" Shae asked, walking up to Wendel's side wearing the bracelet.

"No my dear. Just that all our hopes are riding on you. Strange, that a dragoon should be the salvation of the winglies," he pondered aloud, though with a smile.

"You two have a heavy legacy to uphold. Don't let us down," Sister Miranda said seriously.

"Geez. No pressure," Shae snorted sarcastically.

"We won't disappoint you," Wendel promised.

"Come here young ones. Sister Miranda gather your men," Ancestor Blano instructed.

Miranda gathered her soldiers to her and they all clustered around the trio.

"Hold out your dragoon spirits and lend me your power. Together we'll send Sister Miranda and her men to Deningrad," the Ancestor explained.

Wendel removed his dragoon spirit, which started to glow. Shae removed hers as well and it began to sparkle in a similar manner. Ancestor Blano put his aged hands over theirs as the air around Miranda and her men started to glimmer.

"We'll meet you in three days," the Sacred Sister assured. "You two," Miranda directed at Wendel and Shae, "Please keep an eye out for my daughter," she added with her voice going soft.

"Gotcha," Shae promised.

"Be safe," Wendel said stoutly.

"You too. See you soon," Miranda promised as her form and voice vanished alongside her men.

The Ancestor leaned over slightly, resting on his knees as he caught his breath.

"Ancestor?" Shae asked in worry.

"I'm fine my dear. Now it's your turn. I can put you at the edge of the city. The rest will be up to you," the ancient wingly reminded.

"I don't know about you Wendel, but I'm ready to go!" Shae said brightly and looped her arm around his. She gave him a playful smile, which he answered with a lighthearted grin. There was just something about her that put him at ease. He knew that he should be nervous about such a big mission and even more uneasy about doing it with someone he'd only known a day, but for some reason he trusted Shae completely. It really was starting to feel candidly like he had known her since birth. It made sense when he stopped to think about it. They were both dragoons and those spirits had known each other for a very long time.

"Ya ready?" Shae asked him eagerly.

"I am," he said with a smile.

"Then off you go," the Ancestor said simply. His face strained and then the next thing Wendel knew, they were back on the beach they started on.

"Ya would've thought he'd have gotten us closer," Shae remarked casually squishing the mushy sand with her toes through her open sandals. Wendel's dojo shoes were also covered in sand when he looked down. He took a moment to shake the sand loose and then looked around.

"We need to hurry. Where's the closest water canal?" Wendel asked decisively.

"I haven't been here in a while. I don't know. If we follow the ocean we should find one for sure though," Shae promised.

"Let's go," Wendel said simply and started running with Shae following him. Years of martial arts training and body conditioning allowed him to run long distances with ease. Shae kept the pace for the most part without complaining; however she did start panting heavily after a while.

She stopped and rested her hands on her knees wearily. "Sorry," she huffed out of breath, "Geez Wendel, you're like a running machine. How'd ya get so fast?" she wheezed between breaths.

"I've had a lot of practice. I'm sorry, I was so caught up in urgency that I didn't realize you needed a break. We can walk for a while if you want," he offered, slowing to a stop.

"It's totally cool by me to keep running. I can keep up. Trust me I know we need to get there quick," she answered, still gasping slightly.

Wendel was about to answer her when his senses alerted him immediately to the danger present. His ears twitched in warning. If Shae didn't move out of the way, she wasn't going anywhere quick.

"GET DOWN!" he shouted in alarm and tackled his stunned wingly friend to the ground. Something round and silver-tinted went flying overhead and plunked into the water behind them, having missed. From the sounds, it had been metallic. "Stay down Shae!" Wendel ushered urgently and thrust his foot protectively out in front of himself, catching another flying object in the thick wooden sole of his sandal. He moved ever so slightly to get a better look at the object he'd just blocked. It was a five-pronged throwing star.

"What's goin' on!" Shae cried out in confusion.

Wendel yanked the projectile out of his shoe and tossed it expertly into another one hurling for his face. He quickly jumped back onto his feet and grabbed Shae's upper arm, pulling her up quickly. Still more deadly projectiles were flying at them menacingly and Wendel knew he had little time to act. Putting to use years of discipline and training, he used the flats of his hands and clapped them together, catching one of the airborne weapons between them without injury. He pressed the metal object flat into his hand and carefully placed his fingers between two of the spiked tips before using it as deflector for the rest. He moved his trained hand deftly up, down, and to the left, blocking three more throwing stars.

Unfortunately, the young martial artist wasn't perfect and one of the deadly stars flew past his guard and under his arm. A cold wind crossed his skin as a slab of ice intercepted the metal threat; Shae had cast a small spell from her hands to shield them both from harm. A stray star, seemingly the last of this random barrage, whizzed haphazardly past both of them and whipped across Shae's right arm. The cut was fairly deep and jagged for something that had just grazed her skin and she clutched it tightly with an outcry of pain.

Wendel scowled and grabbed three fallen throwing stars before hurling them back into the timberline fruitlessly. He heard a feminine voice laugh mockingly; the first signs of this hidden assailant he'd had since stepping off his boat earlier. He knew from her tone that none of the stars had found a mark in her body and she continued to taunt him with her sarcastic laughter. She tried to bait him with several more rude jeers and cries, but Wendel knew better than to run off blindly after an enemy he couldn't see in a terrain he wasn't familiar with. It would have been a disgrace to any warrior of the Rogue art to lose his temper and judgment over a verbal insult and what was more, he definitely wasn't going to leave Shae standing injured by herself.

He protectively stepped in front of his wounded friend and took a ready stance toward the general direction of the obnoxious, echoing laughter. "I'm not coming after you!" he declared bluntly. "If you really wanna fight, come out here coward! Or is that the best you can do, throwing things at me from a distance? That's pathetic!" he announced loudly, hoping that using this attacker's mental tricks in reverse would lure her out.

"You're the lucky one, roach," the female voice announced coldly in reply. "In a few minutes, it's just going to be you and me. Come in here and play nice, and perhaps I'll fix her," the unseen female called slyly.

Wendel turned immediately toward Shae, whom was rapidly going stiff with paralysis. "Wendel," she squeaked nervously in a tight voice, "I can't move."

"Shae! Hang on!" he said quickly and removed his dragoon spirit. Thinking quickly, he put the violet sphere in his hand and put his hand over hers. The purple glow from his dragoon spirit connected with a sky blue shimmer from hers and the two spirits communicated with light over Shae's rigid body as they began to cure her.

Their assailant must have been watching them, because she hastily came dashing down the beach and reached them in a blur of speed that hurt Wendel's eyes. "There will be no easy way out this," she promised him with a menacing snarl and kicked him savagely in his exposed side. He nearly dropped his dragoon spirit from the force, it rolled sideways in his grip as he retailed at his attacker.

He swiftly lashed out with his rear leg behind himself on course for his opponent which she blocked with ease on her forearm. His counterstrike had been in all reality, a bad first choice of movement. The woman moved her arm over the top of his extended foot and grabbed it. She twisted roughly, flipping Wendel onto the ground on his back, facing her.

The woman was clad solidly from head to toe in a midnight black garb and carried visibly two sets of weapons. A set of sai were tucked into her ebony-colored sash at her left side and an extremely dented silver pole was attached to her back. Wendel didn't recognize her at all, but he didn't need to be a genius to realize being on the ground in a battle was not a good place to be.

Wendel twisted his foot in her grip and flipped his body through the air from the ground, aiming his other leg squarely for the woman's face.

She quickly relinquished her hold and blocked with her forearm once more. Having both his legs freed, Wendel tried to sweep his opponent's out from underneath her. The woman jumped nimbly out of the way and Wendel completed his movement letting the momentum put him back onto his feet. He punched fiercely after the woman followed by a straight kick, both of which she expertly deflected. He jumped and twisted to the side, bringing his leg with him into a roundhouse kick. She blocked once more, spurring him to use his other foot to come around to kick again. She skillfully maneuvered around his attack and then grabbed his leg.

He leaned back and put his hands on the ground and then lashed upwards with his other leg. This strike connected with his enemy and caught her under the chin, causing her to stagger back.

"Enough games! Time to die, roach!" she hissed dangerously and suddenly shifted into an offensive stance. Wendel nearly choked in surprise, he'd thought she was already on the offensive but he'd been wrong. The woman was quick like a striking snake with every hit she attempted. Her movements were small, precise, and aimed directly for pressure points. Worse still, her attacks were so concise that they left very little of anything open to a counterattack. Wendel found himself having to pull into his own body just to block the swift movements and it was sorely limiting his range of motion.

He deflected one of her strikes over his elbow and then quickly slid his hand up her arm, grabbing and twisting. Extending her arm carefully to lock it into place, he then threw the aggressive woman away from himself. Halfway into the throw, the woman managed to flip her wrist within his grasp and latch onto him. Using his own momentum against him, she twirled Wendel around her body and smashed his chest into her prepared knee.

He recoiled from the strike and stumbled slightly, having lost some amount of balance and of breath. She snatched for him eagerly with black-gloved hands, but this time he actually succeeded in grabbing her wrist twirling under his attacker's arm, effectively throwing her over his shoulder. True to any skilled warrior, the woman wasn't halted long; she rolled backwards with the throw and onto her feet. If he could have seen her face just then, Wendel knew she must be scowling.

"You're getting on my nerves," she spat venomously and pulled the staff from her back. Unfortunately for Wendel, she wasn't any slower with her weapon than she was with her hands. She struck with one end of the pole and he jumped back, narrowly avoiding its twin strike from the opposite side. He pivoted to the side of the ninja woman as she twirled the staff in her arms and brought it down hard, crashing it against his left thigh. The strike stung profusely even though the weapon was blunt. He stumbled off balance. She savagely drove the staff upwards aiming for his face and he desperately blocked with his forearm, sacrificing the appendage to save his head. The painful vibrations from the impact traveled all the way into his shoulder and temporarily rendered his entire left arm numb.

He blocked another staff-stroke with his good arm as he regained use of the other. He knew he had to close the distance between them and thus eliminate the most dangerous element of the staff. He ducked under a blow and then rushed the woman. He grabbed the shaft of the weapon next to the woman's hands and shoved backwards fiercely, pushing the staff into her chest. She shoved back powerfully and they grappled tensely over the staff between them. The woman deftly smashed her head into his at close proximity, being the only thing she could strike out with. Both of them recoiled and took a few strong steps to regain themselves. The woman was the first back on the offensive; somehow she'd dismissed the dizzying blow easily.

She swung after him violently, though she did appear to be slightly disoriented. Wendel waited for the swing and watched as it moved at him. At the last second he jumped up onto the staff and then vaulted over it, grabbing the ends as he went. Having a firm handle of the extremities of the weapon, he yanked backwards, pinning it against the woman's throat from behind. She struggled like a cornered cobra to be free of his hold.

"Stop or you'll choke yourself!" Wendel warned bluntly. "Stop fighting or I will kill you," he bluffed, trying to sound as menacing as possible.

The woman sneered as she writhed in attempt for freedom. "You don't have the guts," she hissed through gritted teeth, "You Rogue worms are really pathetic. It's against your foolish code to kill anyone with your art!"

"You attacked me and my friend without warning and tried to kill us. My code allows me to fight back to the fullest extent necessary to defend my life and hers!" he insisted with a growl, placing more pressure on her trapped neck. If she didn't stop, Wendel fully intended to choke her unconscious. Somewhere, just for a second, something far more sinister flickered beneath the surface of his conscious thoughts. A bloodlust started to simmer there, and for a second, the thought of actually killing his attacker if she didn't stop did cross his mind. He shook his head, quickly willing the horrendous thought away as the black-clad woman continued to struggle.

"That girl is pathetic, even more so than you. I've been watching the two of you all day," she rasped, though with attitude. "She'll already be dead by the time you get back," she laughed cruelly.

Wendel looked around and noticed with surprise that in their battle, the two of them had actually moved in-land about a hundred yards and where now in the forest. He cursed himself inwardly, how had he let himself get so distracted by this battle?

"Liar," he hissed roughly. "Shae's a lot tougher than you give her credit for. But that just gives me all the more reason to end this now. I'm only going to ask you once," he warned dangerously. "Why did you attack us?" he snarled as he strained to maintain his hold. This person may have been a woman, but she was surprisingly very strong for someone so thin of frame.

"Isn't it obvious, you clueless roach? Someone wants you dead," she declared nastily as she suddenly slammed her entire body backwards. The force shoved Wendel hard back-first into a nearby tree and knocked the wind out of him.

His assailant ducked under the staff in Wendel's loosened grip, though neither relinquished hold of it. They both tugged at the same time and the torque sent the weapon spiraling through the air out of reach from both of them.

The female warrior kicked him in the chest while simultaneously drawing the sais from behind her back. "You should have killed me when you had the chance, worm. Because now I'm going to kill you!" she snarled icily and charged him fearlessly with her pointed weapons.

Wendel dodged her invigorated attacks as best as he was able, but he found himself quickly losing ground. He was at a serious disadvantage; his only line of defense against her savage weaponry was his hands. His best chance at protecting himself from serious injury now was the staff, but the ebony-covered woman was barring his way directly from the front. There was no way he could maneuver around her; she'd skewer him first.

These unpromising circumstances were rapidly dwindling the young martial artist's options down to only one. If something didn't change soon, he would be left with no choice but to call upon the dragoon spirit. He reached for it within his gi in preparation. The ninja must have been expecting something of this nature because the moment he inched for his pocket she closed the distance between them in a blur, striking down hard.

Wendel was forced to abandon the action in order to dodge effectively. He ducked swiftly under one sai and the weapon impaled the tree behind him; however the second sai sliced briskly over the top of his shoulder, ripping his gi and splitting the flesh beneath. He ignored the pain. In his adrenaline-backed state he barely felt anything anyway and he'd definitely had much worse in his years of training.

The woman reared back and prepared to deal him a mortal blow, having backed him up against a tree in her pressing assaults. Wendel stepped roughly down on her toes, covered only by a raven-hued silk sock.

She hissed and staggered back just enough to be within a decent striking range. Wendel lashed out with a crescent kick to the inside of her body and managed to dislodge the sai in her right hand. The weapon landed with a dull clink some ten feet away. The ninja woman wasted no time in using her free hand to punch him in the face. Disoriented and dazed from the unexpected force, Wendel tripped and fell ungracefully onto his side.

His hand flew instinctively to his dragoon spirit. He was prepared to use it and accept the consequences. This situation had become extremely dire; whoever this skilled woman was, she wanted to kill him very badly and wasn't going to stop until she did. Wendel could only speculate who had put her up to this, but one thing was for certain. He and Shae had a job to do and a lot was riding on them. They had to survive no matter what happened and that could very possibly mean ending this unknown woman's life. Somewhere in the back of his mind Wendel could hear Haschel telling him to find a better way to end this, one that didn't involve a violent death for anyone. Moreover, Haschel's internal voice was coaching him to find out more information. Wendel knew that even if he killed this strange woman, if he didn't find out who wanted him dead they'd just send someone else.

The lavender stone in his grasp sparked to life, turning a rich violet color. He felt the transformation begin to occur and he gave into it.

The assassin growled menacingly; apparently she knew what was about to happen and she was desperate to prevent it. She promptly threw her remaining sai at him and engaged in his near-metamorphosis, he wasn't able to avoid it. The piercing metal impaled the hand holding his dragoon spirit, puncturing completely through his palm.

He dropped the dragoon spirit in tremendous pain, unable to hold it or anything else for that matter. An anguished yelp escaped his mouth as he clutched his skewered hand into his body painfully. Ignoring him entirely, the ninja woman lunged after the stray dragoon spirit.

The pain was excruciating. This deep injury caused Wendel the most agony he'd ever felt to date and for a moment it completely consumed his thoughts. With great difficulty, he tried to refocus and hissed in torment as he slid the weapon out of his hand. Several battle-spawned nicks in the sides of the blades allowed the weapon to unjustly do more damage coming out than it did going in. He slumped miserably against the base of the tree, trying to concentrate.

_Get up Wendel,_ he heard Haschel command stoutly in his mind. _A disaster is about to happen and devildom will break loose if you don't stop it. You're not some clueless kid; I know you can take this opponent down! After all, I taught you how. If nothing else, I definitely taught you not to sit on your ass! That privilege is reserved for us old people! Hurry up boy; you're supposed to be faster than lightning! Right now Kongol could beat you by swimming, and you know that a rock swims faster than him! _Haschel continued adamantly in his subconscious.

"Yes master," Wendel muttered to himself and despite his hideous injury he returned to his feet shakily and lunged after the woman.

She had just grabbed the spirit in her hand when Wendel tackled her to the ground. Wendel grasped at whatever part of the assassin he could reach, however his bloody hands made his grip slippery as he struggled to hold her. She retaliated no less strong than before, causing his entire arm to throb in agony. He was quickly becoming distracted by the bubbling pain.

Wendel watched as his blood drenched the woman's arm and the dragoon spirit she clung to. He almost let go for sheer surprise when he realized the stone was unblemished. His entire arm and the woman's black attire had been stained with a considerable amount of his blood, but the stone was clean. It was soaking up blood like a sponge absorbs water. Disturbingly, the more blood the orb absorbed, the brighter it seemed to shine.

"Help me!" Wendel spat at it, as if the sphere could somehow comprehend him.

A bright flash of light blinded the young man as some unseen force ripped the sleeve off the ninja woman's left arm. The pale flesh beneath began steadily dripping fresh blood as though she had somehow been cut. It took Wendel a stunned moment to realize it, but the blood was seeping from a strange mark on her arm. It looked like a birthmark shaped into a sword. Seeing double in reality, he immediately realized that the mark was the same as his own, which was conveniently displayed directly next to hers on the opposite arm as they wrestled.

Adding to the oddities, the dragoon spirit actually began to spark electricity as Wendel finally managed to dislodge it from her grasp. The spirit never hit the ground; it started hovering between the two as it sparked. Wendel choked on his own breath when he realized that the dragoon spirit was rolling both ways. It would inch toward him one moment, and then roll toward her the next. Both he and the ninja simultaneously grabbed for it and were both blasted backwards as the stone started to sputter and shake between them.

"It's trying to decide," the woman announced in an odd voice, obviously surprised.

"Who are you! How'd you get that mark on your arm!" Wendel cried out after her in rage.

The woman's hood fell down to her shoulders as she returned to her feet. She looked nothing like Wendel had expected; she was fairly young, maybe five years older than he was at max. Her skin was fair-toned and unmarred, something he wouldn't have thought of for such a voracious warrior. She had long, silky black hair and dark brown eyes that were almost black to behold. Her entire face was burning with malice, but also with the same piqued interest he held.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she scowled at him nastily. "Although it does beg the question who the devildom you are, maggot," she hissed dangerously.

"Seeing as you were sent to kill me, I thought you already knew," he growled in reply. "COME BACK!" he thundered at the wavering dragoon spirit.

"How pathetic," the young woman snickered. "It looks like even your dragoon spirit has lost its faith in you. It's a smart thing. That dragon obviously recognizes superiority when it sees it. I'll be nice and end your embarrassment quickly," she taunted. "And I'll use this to finish you with," she laughed harshly as she walked over undaunted and plucked the spirit out of the air.

Wendel's breath caught solidly in his chest and for moments he couldn't breathe at all. His dragoon spirit had just betrayed him and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Now he would be utterly powerless to stop this assassin, she would murder him like a dog and Shae was already down for the count without defense.

Exhaling his tense breath as a loud curse, he took up a defiant fighting stance once more. Regardless if this woman was a dragoon or not, he would not stand idly by and be killed. He would fight to his last breath. Wendel stepped back involuntarily; he was beginning to become dizzy. Looking down, he noticed that blood was still pouring from his hand at an alarming rate. He'd pass out soon if he couldn't get it to stop and then everything would be over for sure. He rapidly untied his ceremonial headband and wrapped it staunchly against his crucified hand.

"Good luck with that," Wendel snarled sourly as he prepared to attack and hold nothing back.

"I'm going to rip you apart," she declared with a sinister smile as she held the glowing dragoon spirit aloft.

Lightning lit the area and Wendel did the only thing he could. Rapidly retrieving the ninja's discarded sai at his feet, he hurled the blood-tainted weapon into the ground away from himself. The metal acted like a rod and conducted the branches away from his body and into the ground. He took one last, desperate survey of the situation as the dragoon spirit started to pulsate with lightning power. There was no chance he would survive a fight against a dragoon without being one. Shae was his only hope now, if she was still alive.

Every inch of his warrior's pride revolted as he turned on his heel and dashed swiftly back to the beach, however when he got there, he didn't see Shae anywhere. The assassin wasn't long in chasing him down and it took only a second for her to close in on him. Empowered by the dragoon spirit and the bloodlust of the chase, she lashed out and grabbed his throat. As she did so, lightning sparked painfully all over his body.

Not knowing what else to do, Wendel tried one last time to take the dragoon spirit back. He reached through the arcing lightning painfully and was rebuked by misery more potent than his hand. He gritted his teeth and hissed both in anguish and determination. No matter what, he couldn't let her transform or it would be the end of him. His vision started to blur dangerously; he knew he was losing consciousness.

"DAMN YOU!" he swore at both his opponent and his backstabbing dragoon spirit.

As if the spirit had somehow heard and decided to reconsider, the ninja was suddenly affected adversely by its surging powers too. The spirit streaked violently, shocking them both as they fought for control of it. In a final flash, both of them were blasted onto the sand for a second time.

The pain subsided and Wendel laid his head submissively into the sand, stunned and in despair. He wanted to just pass out, however there was a blinding light beaming into his face. Something warm lay against his chest and he felt a familiar strength. He looked down incredulously and sure enough, the spirit of the violet dragoon had returned to him.

"Are you going to change your mind in the next thirty seconds?" he growled at it crossly. He received a zesty zap from it in reply that moved him back onto his feet.

The would-be assassin had returned to her feet as well. "That thing is schizophrenic," she growled irately. "But I never needed it to kill you in the first place. Well, consider yourself honored, roach. You're about to become the only person in my career I've ever had to use _my_ art to kill. Good-bye, pest," she stated nonchalantly.

Wendel didn't even have time to blink. Somehow, though she had been more than ten feet away, she suddenly appeared directly in front of him before he could move at all. She smashed both of her pointed hands into his head from the front and in whirl of color she was on both sides of him and behind him striking him again and again. She hit him what felt like four times in all, seemingly giving a strike in each direction that paralyzed him completely and left him helpless. She shouted something about the four Gods and streaked in front of him, prepared with the final blow.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind or a string in his heart not touched with dread. This was Naranjunga, the black art. His master had warned the entire school about it on numerous occasions, stating that it was a malevolent counterpart to their own art. Naranjunga, unlike the Rogue art, aimed only to destroy and kill. It was the product of a corrupted fist and a tainted heart and unfortunately, it was also hard as devildom to combat. Wendel cringed inwardly when he realized that in all likelihood, the only warrior that was skilled enough to break free of something like this was Master Haschel. He did the only thing he could do and prayed. He even sent a plea to his dragoon spirit.

"You chose me," he reminded it mentally. "Now save me," he begged intensely.

Wendel could hear something loud moving nearby, it was causing a dull roar in his ears. The paralysis faded and he felt a comforting presence wrap itself around him. Someone grabbed him with an armored hand and when he looked up, he couldn't have been more relieved. The dragoon Shae was a very welcome sight.

"Not a good time to be standin' around," she said seriously as she shifted his body into her arms. Wendel shook his head when he looked to his right; there was an enormous, towering wall of water beside them. He deduced with little difficulty that Shae was using her dragoon magic to call a tidal wave over the ocean. The crest of the wave loomed directly above them as Shae flew skyward at the last possible second.

"STRIKING WAVE!" she shouted powerfully as the tsunami washed intensely onto the beach. In an inhuman display of agility the female ninja jumped into a nearby tree, narrowly avoiding being crushed as the entire ground became engulfed in deep water. Shae didn't let the miss slow her down; ice shards began to swirl around them mid-air.

"FREEZING RING!" she summoned aptly, sending the ice spiraling after the ninja woman.

The assassin hastily jumped into a different tree as the ice collided with her former perch and violently shattered the entire thing to dust.

Shae cast her powerful ice magic one more time carefully aiming, but in a blink the woman had disappeared somehow.

"Damn it!" Wendel snarled furiously.

"Sorry," Shae apologized quickly. "Dang she was speedy! What happened? You're all beat up Wendel," she observed in concern. "Your hand is totally…" she continued sympathetically.

"I know," he growled sourly. "Shae, my spirit betrayed me. It flew into her hands," he hissed bitterly.

Shae almost dropped him for shock. "What! Are ya serious?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Completely," he asserted angrily.

"But ya still got it now. It was glowin' when I found ya and I could feel ya callin' for help," Shae informed truthfully.

"It somehow recognized us both. She almost used it to kick my ass, though she apparently didn't need it. She uses Naranjunga," he replied crossly.

"Nara-what's-it?" Shae snorted, landing on a tree branch above the water.

"The black art. It's used without honor and only to kill," he scowled.

"Scary. So that's why you were all paralyzed n' stuff?" she asked seriously.

"Yes. Speaking of paralyzed, how did you get free?" Wendel asked simply.

Shae flicked her armor suggestively. "My dragoon spirit."

"I should have known. Mine," he hissed at it begrudgingly, "saved me from poison once."

Shae began to swagger back and forth on the branch unstably. "I don't think I can keep this much longer," she admitted with her wings drooping.

"You don't need to hold it anymore; she's gone for right now. Change back and I'll make sure you don't fall," Wendel promised.

"But you're hurt," Shae protested softly.

"I'll manage," he assured bluntly.

"Okay," Shae replied uncertainly. Within seconds and a sky blue glow, she was back to normal and stumbled as she set down on the tree branch.

Despite the pain in his hand he steadied her gently, though he did visibly wince.

Shae cringed as she watched him. "Who was that lady and why did she attack us?" Shae asked woozily.

"Drink one," Wendel said, handing her a spirit potion from within his gi. "She was an assassin, though I didn't get much else. Someone sent her to kill us. I kept feeling like someone was watching us all day, it must have been her. I didn't want to say anything without knowing more about what was going on. I think that might have been a big mistake," he grumbled, angry with himself. "I did find out she has a mark like mine though. Shocked the devildom out of me," he admitted, pulling up his blood-soaked sleeve to show Shae his birthmark.

"Wow. It kinda looks like a sword. It's a birthmark right? So ya were kinda born with it?" Shae asked, running her fingers over it curiously.

"Yes," Wendel answered simply.

"Whoa… do ya think maybe you guys are related somehow?" Shae wondered aloud.

"No way! Master Haschel knew my parents. He said I was an only child," Wendel replied bitterly at the absurd suggestion.

"Just sayin'...I didn't mean to get ya all in a grumpy mood. On the bright side the dragoon spirit still chose you, so we don't got time to worry about it," Shae reminded gently.

"For now," Wendel growled irritably.

"Mom told me somethin' one time about Mr. Dart's dragoon spirit choosin' his dad at the same time and everything turned out totally fine! Don't worry," Shae encouraged softly. "Look! See it's already time to go. The water's clearing," the water dragoon observed brightly.

"I'm glad one of us can be optimistic," Wendel commented, though in truth Shae's peppiness was beginning to calm him down. "We need to move quickly to make up for the time we've lost. I have no idea who that assassin reports back to but I know she won't stay gone long," Wendel asserted darkly. He winced in pain as he made his way down the tree with Shae behind him.

"Hey Wendel, what's this thingy?" Shae asked inquisitively, pulling one of the assassin's sais off the ground. The metal had been washed clean, providing a better look at its details.

"One of her weapons. Let me see it," he offered, taking it in hand. He looked it over and found it to be unremarkable. The only distinguishing features were two small runes at the base of the hilt that didn't mean anything to Wendel. "Shae, do you know what these runes mean?" he asked, pointing them out.

"Nope. No idea," she admitted.

"Fine. I'll hold onto it until we find someone that does," Wendel stated simply as he stowed the weapon in his scarlet sash.

"Let me see your hand," Shae suggested softly, eyeing the drenched wrapping.

"Don't bother. It went all the way through so I don't think there's much you can do," he said touchily and pulled it away from her defensively. It was still throbbing excruciatingly.

"Well I can't heal it, but I can try and take the sting out," she offered kindly, evoking a reluctant sigh from him. "Do ya wanna suffer?" Shae asked dubiously.

"No," he groaned and held out his hand stiffly.

Shae pulled back the headband turned bandage and cringed. "I'm sorry I didn' get to ya sooner."

"You were there when it counted and trust me I'm grateful," he hissed through grated teeth as she moved his palm ever so slightly.

Shae blew gently onto his hand, exhaling ice that coated the wound and numbed it after a few moments. "Better?" she asked hopefully.

"Much," he nodded appreciatively. "Thanks," he continued genuinely and carefully rewrapped the wound. "Let's go," he said starting forward. "Be on your guard." 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon. All copyrights are still in effect and property of Sony Entertainment. I'm just playing around in their world for fun, no money is being made.

Into the Dark

Stale water was dripping from the dank ceiling and a spray of fine mist washed over Remona's face. Liora snorted as a drop hit her nose and then sneezed. The resulting sound was obnoxiously loud and reverberated in the confined space. All three of them jumped, including Liora's newly acquired unicorn.

Remona's exposure to this immaculate newcomer had been brief, in truth it had taken her several minutes to become adjusted to the highly magical aura it was giving off. The story Liora had given was equally as brief and Remona was keenly interested to hear Liora elaborate, however all three of them seemed to have taken an unspoken vow of silence while they were in the tunnel. It was a necessity nobody questioned; those tree-monsters were looking for them and any loud noise was amplified ten-fold in the narrow space.

"I think the three of you are far enough underground that a sneeze isn't going to hurt anything," Rose remarked calmly as she floated along beside them, occasionally whisking through solid roots or other jutting debris.

The ghost's voice made Remona flinch a second time; she hadn't been expecting it and Rose had been silent for a long time. In fact, she hadn't really said much in the last few hours. Remona couldn't blame her. She'd been yelling profusely during the entire fight she had with the ninja woman, trying to give Remona the crash course in extremely advanced swordsmanship that would save her life. Remona had absorbed as much as she could from her spirit-mentor, but time had been limited and so was her focus. It was definitely a good thing that Liora had appeared when she did, Remona thought grimly. Any longer and she might have sustained a critical injury or even worse….

She shook her head a third time, forcing the unwelcome thought away. No, she decided. That wouldn't have happened. Rose was very adamant about Remona not using the power of the dragoon spirit against this woman for some reason. Remona guessed the ghost had put too much stock into her sword skills, which definitely paled in comparison to the ninja's own verse in weapons. But Rose or no, she had been on the verge of using the dragoon spirit. To devildom with secrecy, if it was going to outright cost her life.

In the dim space, Liora studied her friend's troubled expression. "Remona, are you alright?" she whispered in concern.

"I'm fine. Let's keep moving," she assured silently, shooting Rose a quick glance.

"How close do you think we are?" Liora asked after hesitating a few more moments.

At that moment, a loud, rumbling roar shook the entire tunnel, and caused a shower of earthy debris to rain down dangerously. The unicorn whined loudly and reared, gouging the tip of its golden horn roughly across the roof of the tunnel. A clod of reddish mud fell threateningly from the gap it had created and landed atop Remona's boots.

Liora swiftly rushed to the creature's side to calm her. "Easy, easy! It's going to be alright," she soothed as she rubbed the side of the unicorn's luminescent, white neck reassuringly. Her gentle coaxing did little to calm the finicky equine, and Remona could see the fear in both Liora and the unicorn as another rumble rolled through their confined area.

"Take a minute and breathe," Rose instructed, unheard by the white archer and her steed. "Getting worked up over something that hasn't happened yet is pointless," the ghost continued sagely.

"Let's just stand here a minute and take a deep breath. We need to calm down. I seriously doubt it can hear us all the way down here," Remona relayed, though she could feel the tension she had herself within her muscles.

Another roar shook both the ceiling and floor simultaneously. All three corporeal beings were bounced around considerably by the force. Liora collided into the unicorn's broad side and Remona smacked into the opposite wall. Rose, having no solid form herself, was unaffected as the tight space continued to rock and rumble.

"What's going on?" Liora asked nervously as she struggled out from under the unicorn's leg. She made to stand, but Remona ushered her back down.

"I don't think it's over yet," Remona warned quietly as she braced herself for another shockwave. True to her hunch, another ripple of motion rattled the three of them again.

"Those things must be directly above us," Liora deduced seriously in a barely audible voice.

"That would make sense," Remona whispered back carefully.

"We should get out of here now," Liora urged uneasily.

"No," Rose insisted immediately. "You need to stay where you are. Those things have roots that are connected to the ground. My guess is that they not only feel what's on top of the ground, but also things that are underneath it to some degree. Dramatic movements, like running, will probably draw them straight to you," she finished quickly.

"Just say where you are and be quiet," Remona countered quickly, passing along Rose's warning.

Liora nodded wordlessly, and shifted into a position where she was leaned comfortingly against the unicorn's side. "You need to stay still and quiet too, Illumane," she whispered to it seriously, but with gentleness as well. "Don't worry, it will be over soon," she promised genuinely.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes that passed in anxious silence, the rumbling became faint and then subsided altogether. Remona stood up and brushed the thick layer of moldy dirt from her shoulders and hair. Likewise, Liora did the same before turning to the unicorn. Somehow none of the grime had managed to stick to its pure, gleaming fur and it was as still as brilliant as a rainbow.

"Illumane?" Remona asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, that's her name," Liora affirmed with a nod. "At least, I think it is," she added hesitantly.

"How do you know? Did she tell you somehow?" Remona asked curiously.

"Sort of," Liora replied honestly. "I promise I'll explain later. Let's just go forward for now. I don't like how long we've stayed in this one spot," she admitted truthfully.

"I agree," Remona assured as the three resumed walking. Mercifully there weren't any more earthly tremors for almost ten minutes. Remona was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when out of nowhere, came the worst one yet.

This new earthquake was so bad that part of the ceiling actually did give way under the pressure and caved in. Unfortunately, the piece of the roof that fell also seemed to have been part of the tunnel's structural integrity. Huge cracks split rapidly across a wide area overhead as several sizable chunks of wood, dirt, and rock began raining down around them.

"RUN!" Remona barked quickly. The tunnel was collapsing all around them; they had no time to be conscientious of noise or movements.

The unicorn, being faster than both humans combined, raced ahead and started to charge horn-down. After a second, it became apparent the creature was projecting some sort of shielding barrier. Rocks and other objects were hitting the magical energy and then crumbling apart harmlessly.

"She's clearing the way for us!" Liora exclaimed in surprise. "Hurry! We have to follow directly behind her!" she urged as both of them raced after the unicorn as fast as they were able.

As they ran through a section of unstable tunnel, a sharp tingle passed through Remona's skin. She surged through the odd energy without mishap but Liora and the unicorn were suddenly repulsed violently backwards by something unseen.

"What the devildom?" Remona cried starkly in alarm, quickly turning around.

"Remona, there's some sort of magical barrier here and we can't get through!" Liora exclaimed anxiously as she raced to the area and pounded her fist against something invisible.

The breath caught in Remona's throat as a huge rock fell directly over Liora's standing place. Luckily, the unicorn reared over her head protectively and broke the falling object with its shining horn.

Remona moved immediately opposite Liora, and grabbed her arm without a problem. Nothing hindered her own arm, but as she tried to pull her friend to herself, Liora's arm hit something solid and couldn't be moved any further.

The archer pulled back her arm with a cry of pain; apparently this barrier was painful for her to touch after a few seconds of direct contact. Remona grimaced in apology as she intently tried to think of a solution.

"How the devildom—"she mumbled to herself fiercely, knowing the tunnel was seconds away from total collapse and killing them all.

"This is dark magic," Rose asserted plainly as she hovered around the trio in a circle, surveying whatever it was they couldn't see. Rose didn't seem to be affected by the barrier either and suddenly the answer clicked.

Remona vaguely recalled Ricki saying something about how all the refugees were children and a few people about their age. This must have been the reason why. The energy was menacing, as Remona passed her arm through desperately once more, but it also carried a familiar element. The magic was tainted, but it carried a similar pattern to the darkness dragoon energy.

"This energy is almost the same as mine," Remona announced aloud. "So why then can't-?"

"Liora and the unicorn have a very strong light energy, which is the direct opposite of this barrier. That's why they can't get through. Your energy meshes with this magic, so you're unaffected," Rose surmised quickly analyzing the situation.

"WATCH OUT!" Remona yelled swiftly as a cluster of large timbers fell together, on target for the space between the two dragoons.

"Use the dragoon spirit!" Rose commanded urgently. "Grab Liora and have her grab the unicorn! Activate her spirit with yours and pull them across!"

Remona didn't question her, or voice the doubts she held in her mind. "Liora, grab Illumane and give me your other hand," she insisted quickly.

Liora gave her a questioning glance, but said nothing aloud. She immediately grabbed a handful of the unicorn's purple mane and then grabbed Remona's outstretched arm.

Remona focused on the feeling of darkness, and let it wrap around her entire arm. A bright, sapphire-blue glow lit the chaotic space, evoking a resonating white light in response. Remona could physically feel the two dragoon spirits connect. Now intertwined with her darkness energy, Remona yanked Liora and Illumane through the barrier roughly and not a moment too soon. The timbers crashed violently into the ground in the place they had been standing and soon after that entire side of the tunnel caved in completely.

Liora tried to say something, but Remona waved her on. "We'll talk later," she insisted as the three of them bolted rapidly down the disintegrating corridor. Remona could vaguely make out a door in the ceiling in front of them with a rickety old ladder leading up to it. Remona protectively ushered Liora past her and up the ladder first. Liora made quick work of it, and Remona followed suit immediately. She missed more than a few rungs, and almost slipped back into the tunnel. Oddly, the unicorn momentarily forgot its weariness of her and placed its nose under her foot to steady her. It boosted her up safely through the exit with a gentle nudge.

"Are you coming?" Remona asked, turning immediately to the door she'd just exited. She had absolutely no idea how they were going to get a unicorn through such a small opening. However, when she looked back into the darkness, she didn't see the sparkling creature anywhere. "Where-?" she began uncertainly.

"Oh!" Liora gasped in amazement as the unicorn suddenly materialized beside her in a shower of light and sparkles. It tossed its magnificent head back, shaking the few dust particles from its gleaming mane.

"Well I'll be damned," Remona snorted in amusement. "That's a talent that could have come in handy before now."

"I think it takes a lot of energy," Liora guessed, "And she can only do it over very short distances. Where are we now?" she asked, looking around.

It was an eerie sight that greeted them. They appeared to be in the ruins of some small town. All the buildings had been reduced to half-height or less and several were badly burned. Clay powder dotted the area like settled dust and random objects were scattered around haphazardly. Remona realized gravely that she'd just stepped down on the remnants of a child's toy. She wrinkled her nose as the night wind blew the pungent, sulfuric odor into her nostrils. Mixed with the smoke and fire was the acrid scent of blood. It could only be one place.

"This is Furni," she replied grimly.

"Oh my God…." Liora whispered in horror as she continued to eye the devastation. "A better statement would be what's left of it," she breathed morbidly.

"I thought Furni would have been bigger," Remona added, continuing to scan their surroundings cautiously.

"It is. This is only the outskirts of the city from what I can judge," Liora admitted mournfully.

"I have a feeling that the rest of the city will be worse," Remona replied honestly as she watched a smoldering ruin finally crumble to complete ash on the ground. "Get down!" she urged quickly and grabbed Liora's shirt. Remona pulled her friend behind a pile of rubble as the buzzing noise came closer.

"Illu—" Liora started in alarm, however the unicorn had vanished.

"Don't worry," Remona assured. "I can still feel her nearby. But somebody's coming. Don't make any noise," she informed seriously.

Seconds later, a loud humming filled the air. The two teenagers could make out a shadowy figure on the ground and it was joined minutes later by two more. Remona knew better than to peer out for a view; the heap of debris they were concealed behind could easily tumble and expose them both if she touched the wrong thing. She settled, though with some frustration, for listening to the on-goings.

"What the devildom was that noise?" a nasally voice asked loudly.

"Sounded like a landslide," another answered bluntly.

"But there aren't any hills or mountains. The ground here is flat!" a third protested nastily.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Fly over there and look," the first voice insisted.

"I don't know, Janel," one said uncertainly.

"What are you so scared of Carlan? Get over there before I blast you," the one named Janel barked authoritatively.

"Sir, what if it's the dragoon?" he answered hesitantly.

Remona felt herself grin. They hadn't really done much and already they were striking fear into the hearts of their enemies. And to her knowledge, they had only seen Liora. They still didn't have any idea that she was a dragoon also.

"Idiot!" Janel hissed. "If she left the city, we'd know! Dashen would be up in arms!"

Liora shifted slightly beside Remona, listening intently. Apparently she knew this person.

"But she did escape. I heard Dashen and General Ziran arguing," the third interjected quietly.

"That doesn't matter. We all know she'll be back. Remember, we have her mother," Janel snapped coldly. "Now get moving!"

Remona watched Liora's eyes widen and she heard the breath catch in her friend's throat. "Mom…" she breathed silently in fear.

"I guess that's true…she is that much of an idiot," the same one answered.

Despite her horror, Liora snorted indignantly upon hearing the insulting remark. All three shadows turned towards them.

"Quiet," Remona hissed under her breath as the humming sounds moved closer. It didn't take Remona long to realize these people were winglies. She reached out with her foot silently and slipped her boot under a small rock. She kicked soundlessly and sent the pebble spiraling through the air. It landed loudly for such a small object and the winglies changed directions immediately.

"Gotcha!" one yelled triumphantly. He conjured a fireball and launched it into the pile of rubble the rock had landed in. A minor explosion resulted, stirring up a large quantity of dust and dirt into the air.

When the dust cleared, several rats scurried away at top speed while the bodies of several more remained behind in the wreckage. It was fortuitous there had been a nest in that spot, though Remona did fell a slight twinge of remorse for the unintentional loss of life. But, all things considered, she'd much rather lose a few rats than her own life.

"Hmph. Is this your dragoon Carlan?" Janel growled irritably.

"Ha ha, very funny. Look over there. It looks like another tunnel. Half of it caved in," Carlan replied as he flew higher into the air and looked in that direction.

"That's not surprising. This human stink-hole has bunches of them. It must have caved in when the Seldrith started to move. Glad it's not me they're after… you know I almost feel sorry for that dragoon. Those things give me the creeps and they're on our side…I don't think I've ever seen anything more powerful in my life, even the Ancestor!" the third said with a shiver in his tone.

"Well, that's probably what caused the cave in to begin with then. Those things rattle everything when they walk," Carlan snorted dismissively.

"Whatever. Let's go. Dashen is going to be expecting our report soon and we're going to have to switch guards for that dragoon's mother," Janel commanded in a bored drawl.

"Yes sir," his two underlings acknowledged before all three of them flew away.

When they were gone, Liora sprang from the rubble in an upset uproar. "Remona they have my mother! We have to help her! We have to find out where they're keeping her! Let's go! Let's go right now!" she huffed, emotionally distraught.

"Calm down," Remona reminded, though she was sympathetic to the situation. "I know we need to help her, but we can't just go rushing into things without a direction and a plan. We'll be in over our heads if all those things plus winglies and elves catch up to us at once," Remona reminded evenly.

"This is all my fault . . .if only I'd told her before I left then maybe this wouldn't have happened! I-DAMN!" she hissed in anguish as her clenched fists shook at her sides.

Remona was genuinely startled by the display. For one, Liora who was always impeccable with her manners had just used a swear word and secondly, Liora's dragoon spirit sparked to life. The white flare illuminated her own spirit, but within the familiar blend of light and dark, Remona could distinctly feel something else as well.

"What's happening?" Remona asked in confusion, hoping to get an answer from Rose, though the teenager was unsure if the ghost could feel the weird sensation that they did.

Liora naturally assumed that Remona had been directing the question at her, and answered shakily. "I'm not sure….I thought it was just you and me at first, but then…you felt it too, right?"

"Hard to be sure. What did it feel like to you?" Remona asked, searching around with her eyes for Rose.

The unexpected glow from their dragoon spirits died away and when the glare faded, Liora had a knowing look on her face.

"It felt like it did when I met you," she replied in earnest.

"There are other dragoons nearby," Rose announced nonchalantly from atop a debris pile to Remona's left.

The news surprised Remona so much, she nearly fell over. "Where?" she blurted, turning to Rose expectantly.

"Where what? I didn't say anything. Remona what are you looking at?" Liora responded curiously, following her gaze.

Remona shook her head and faced her friend. "Sorry about that," she apologized briefly. "Here's a thought. Liora do you think there could be other dragoons nearby?" she asked, rephrasing Rose's information into a question. Though she asked Liora, Remona glanced casually to the left, looking to Rose.

"I don't know where, but they are close," Rose answered, meeting Remona's gaze. "And before you ask, yes I'm sure. Don't look so surprised. You knew that this was bound to happen. Dragoon spirits are drawn to each other when the time comes, remember?" Rose reminded plainly, unheard by Liora.

"Don't ask me how I know, but yes. Remona I do think there are other dragoons nearby," the archer answered with blind confidence.

"Hmm," Remona mumbled in reply. "Me too."

"What should we do?" Liora asked uncertainly.

"Follow your dragoon spirits, they will guide you where you need to go," Rose affirmed.

"I think our dragoon spirits know the answer," Remona prompted, relaying Rose's words once more.

"You're right. I don't know how to explain it, but I'm feeling a pull from the north of us," Liora agreed, touching her dragoon spirit gingerly, provoking a subtle glimmer from within it.

"Well, that would seem sensible," Remona added darkly, "because if this map is correct, the further north we go, the further into Furni we move. If these things draw us together where there's trouble, it would be reasonable to expect others inside the city."

"Remona, didn't Ricki say beforehand that he had arranged for a friend of his to meet us under the old inn?" Liora recalled suddenly.

Remona nodded briefly. "Yes, he did. Although, I have no idea where the inn is located. There aren't any landmarks around here that I can recognize on the map. In fact," she snorted with mild sarcasm as she swept the rubble with her eyes, "there isn't much of anything that can be distinguished from the first to the next."

"You're not alone," Rose alerted swiftly as her sapphire eyes scoured a charred heap of bricks to their left.

Heeding the mostly unheard warning, Remona pointed her rapier in the direction of Rose's ghostly stare and then called out to the concealed being in a threatening voice.

"I know you're there," the young darkness dragoon asserted. "Come out now if you don't want to be taken out where you stand!" she demanded in an icy tone, unsure about what new threat they were about to encounter.

A pair of dark-skinned hands emerged from the left side of the debris pile, quaking nervously. Thus far, everything appeared human.

"No sudden movements!" Liora added menacingly as she strung her bow, turning to face the new occurrence as well.

Hearing the archer's voice added to the mix, the person's hands began to twitch fearfully. It was a twitch Liora's firing hand was dangerously close to mimicking.

"I'm coming out now," a voice promised timidly. "Please don't shoot!" the unidentified man added with clear intimidation. Slowly, and with his entire body shaking in trepidation, a middle-aged man surfaced into view with his hands still held at length in front of himself.

Remona was relieved to see that the newcomer was indeed human and unarmed, however that by no means made him helpless for certain. She didn't ease any in the harshness of her tone.

"Who are you?" Remona interrogated fiercely.

The man was hesitant in his reply as he looked the two of them over thoroughly for the first time. Even his eyes were alight with tension; they kept darting between the two dragoons shiftily. Remona wondered whether the strange man was insane, or if he was sizing Liora and herself up for a possible attack. It wouldn't be a strange occurrence, for an adult man to think he was superior to two teenage girls, weapons or no. If the latter was the case, it would be the sorest mistake of his life. Of that Remona was sure.

His nervous eyes finally came to rest on Liora's glimmering, crystal arrowhead and then darted immediately to the crescent moon emblem inlaid into the grip of the bow. His demeanor changed immediately.

"Are . . . are you knight of Deningrad!" the man suddenly exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and hope.

Remona and Liora looked to each other uncertainly, unsure of what to answer. Each way was bound to have a particular consequence and they still had no idea who this man was.

"Please!" the man pleaded desperately, wringing his hands together in despair. "Please tell me that you're knights sent by the Queen to rescue us!" he begged again expectantly as he stared pitifully at the imperial emblem on Liora's bow.

Liora lowered her bow slightly. It was in a position that she could still fire from should something happen, but lowering the tip of the arrowhead made her far less threatening. Along with her bow, Liora softened her tone.

"Who are you?" Liora repeated, though more amicable this time. "We're not Imperial Knights, but we are friends of Deningrad and here to help," she announced gently.

The unknown man's expectant face fell considerably with Liora's admission they weren't knights. However once he heard they were aligned with Deningrad, some of his earlier apprehension seemed to fade away. He was far from relaxed, though he did stop shaking and calm himself considerably.

"I'm sorry to frighten you," Liora apologized sincerely as she removed the arrow from her bowstring entirely in a gesture of goodwill. "My name is Liora," she introduced.

Remona wasn't immediately convinced that the threat was over and held on to her weapon obstinately, despite a more than suggestive nudge from Liora.

"You still haven't answered our question," Remona demanded pointedly. "Who exactly are you and why are you out here hiding?" she persisted, mistrusting. They'd already made the mistake of assuming someone was harmless once before and it had created a world of complications.

"Remona, you're scaring him," Liora chided as she eyed the man's weary countenance. "He isn't a threat to us," she insisted simply.

"That's yet to be determined," Remona shot back stubbornly. "Right now he's making _me _uneasy. I have no idea who he is or what he's doing," she responded plainly. "I'm not going to have a repeat of last time here in the belly of the enemy. If you want me to trust you enough to put my weapon away," Remona insisted of the man seriously, "answer my questions."

The man eyed her sapphire sword uneasily; however he did dignify the two dragoons with a response this time.

"My name is Norbert Sharefolk. I'm a resident of Furni that just escaped from jail where I was unjustly imprisoned by the elves," he explained reluctantly. "That's why I was hiding. There's NO WAY in devildom that I'm going to let those monsters catch me again! They'll kill me for sure," he exclaimed with a frightful tremor in his voice.

"I don't know about unjustly imprisoned," said Rose as she watched the man's nervous gestures begin to resume from her unseen vantage point. "Judging by the tone in his voice and the jitters he still has, it's likely that he was in prison before the elves took over for a legitimate infraction of law. However," Rose added nonchalantly upon seeing the concerned expression start to pass over Remona's face, "I'd wager it was a more or less minor offense and I don't think he's a danger to you two."

Remona shot the specter a questioning glance out of the corner of her eye, prompting her to explain wordlessly.

"He's frightened," Rose affirmed simply, "There's no question about that, but given his position, I think he has reasons to be more afraid than everyone else. I don't know about you, but if I were a resident of the city, I would still have to think twice before helping a convict, even in these dire circumstances. He can't expect help from the townspeople and he still has to deal with the elves who probably don't give a rat's ass one way or the other about what his crimes were. He's legitimately on his own, and was probably hiding because he thought you were elves or winglies, or he thought you were townspeople that would potentially turn him back in. There are those factors, and then there is the simple expectation that the less bold of humanity will usually hide when they are frightened. His behavior makes sense," Rose elaborated.

"But," she continued, "If you want to get an accurate reading on people's intentions usually all you have to do is watch their eyes," Rose suggested wisely. "Most average people anyway. Normally they don't have enough self-awareness to conceal things in their eyes," the apparition finished. "I don't see an attack looming in his eyes. That," Rose assured, "and I can see behind him. He's alone and unarmed. Even if he does try something completely stupid the two of you could make short work of him."

Remona lowered her sword, but decided to confront the man on one of Rose's assumptions. "With the way you're carrying on, you were in jail before the elves came. I think you're an escaped criminal," she professed, sharing Rose's opinion truthfully. "Come clean with us right now, and I promise we won't tell anyone else. In either case," she persisted, "we won't be turning you back in to anyone."

Liora glanced at her oddly, a curious expression on her face. "Remona?" she asked uncertainly.

The man named Norbert surprised Remona. He actually confessed to the assumption. He downcast his eyes and sighed heavily, but made no aggressive movements.

"You're a people person, aren't you?" he muttered sarcastically. "It's true. I was in prison for a crime I committed before the elves, but I still say it was unjust!" he piped nervously.

"Yeah, yeah. You think you're innocent. I get that," Remona snorted briskly.

Liora looked from Remona to Norbert in surprise, but her demeanor towards the man didn't change much despite the new discovery.

"What did you do?" Liora asked, still softly and still with an air of concern for the man's wellbeing.

"I'm telling you it wasn't worth the time I got for it!" he growled incredulously. "But all I did was smuggle some Ricerian Cider! I've been brewing it for years, but then the imperials had to go and ban the best damn booze in Endiness! Too strong, they said it was. It rots your gut. Hogwash!" he insisted indignantly. "But anyway, I brought some for my poor friend whose wife is the worst damn hag in the world….that's a story in and of itself I tell you. But anyway, that was my crime. The guard picked me up for helpin' a friend about three months ago, just before this whole mess. They gave me fifteen years! Can you believe it? Fifteen years, just for trying to alleviate someone's suffering! The max was ten! I'll bet you anything that bitch of a wife of his had something to do with it! She was in tight with the Harris family!" Norbert swore.

Liora stifled an amused giggle. "Yeah I've heard of Ricerian Cider. They call it Dragon Lager because they say it could knock a dragon on its tail in three sips. Our committee said it was causing severe health problems, so they banned it. Mother was depressed of course," Liora admitted with a small smile. "She said fighting men and women had earned the right to the drink of their choice and she herself would occasionally have some. But I guess she saw the medical view behind it…." She trailed off starting to become pained.

Remona immediately noticed Liora's face tighten and become emotional. She wasn't sure if it was the mention of her mother or of medicine or both. It must have been her mother, because Liora immediately shifted the direction and demeanor of the conversation.

"Nobert," she addressed respectfully and eagerly, "You said you escaped from Furni's prison? How did you do it?"

The haggard looking man eyed her oddly, and then nodded. "Yeah, I escaped. But I think it was mostly a fluke. Don't ask me how because it likely won't help whatever buddy of yours the elves might have taken there," he answered bluntly.

"No, that's not what I meant," Liora began with a guilty tone. "Mr. Sharefolk, I wanted to ask you, since you've been in the prison since before the elves invaded, if they have taken any special prisoners that you know of. You know, people like diplomats or knights?" she pressed desperately.

"Lost somebody you know, did you?" he asked simply. He shook his head. "I don't know anybody those bastard elves and damned winglies deemed special other than the Mayor and his wife, but they were sure making a fuss over something when I escaped," he replied with a tense shrug.

Liora looked down at her sandals in same. "I did lose somebody. They took my mother," she answered ruefully after he'd finished speaking.

The escapee's expression softened into one of pity. "That's rough. Unfortunately there's a lot of that goin' around. You said she was 'special'. Is it a name that I should know?" he asked curiously.

"You'd have heard something already," Remona supplied simply. Her instincts and her logical mind were telling her that the two of them shouldn't go around carelessly mentioning Sister Miranda, especially to an escaped prisoner. It was a name that was bound to get reactions and attract attention, especially since it was also currently equated with the word dragoon

Liora looked hurt when she heard the flatness in Remona's voice, but it seems that she understood. She gave her the faintest of nods.

"If you say so. I'm not going to pry, because I'm not sure I want to know what your secrets are. If you really want the latest news and are actually crazy enough to chance crossing all the forces of chaos in Furni, then maybe Talyn Weatherford can help you. From what limited news I've heard from my cell, some people that get brought in have been whispering that he's been their go-to-guy," Norbert offered quietly as if he were passing along top secret information.

Remona looked to Liora and nodded furtively. This was the same person that Ricki had arranged for them to see beforehand.

"Do you know where we can find him?" Remona asked directly, completely sheathing her sword. She already knew the venue Ricki had given them to meet this person, but the truth was they had no idea where that place was. Nothing had gone according to plan recently and any additional information this man could give might help them out of dire straits later if something else went wrong.

Norbert shook his balding head. "I really have no idea to tell you the truth, but I do know that most of the 'trouble' as the elves call it happens in the east and central sectors. I'd start there if you're going to look," he suggested.

"I see. Then we have a large area to sift through. We need to get going," Remona answered briskly.

"You're actually going to go?" Norbert asked the teenage pair incredulously.

Remona nodded crisply in reply. "Yes, we are. Did you think I just wanted to kill time talking with you?" she added somewhat snappishly.

"Take it easy," Norbert shot back, nervously moving his hands in the air for a placating gesture. "It's just hard to believe anyone would actually want to go in there after what I've seen."

"What about you?" Liora asked in altruistic concern. "What will you do?"

"You can't escape much further than this," Remona stated to him plainly as she turned away.

"And why's that?" Norbert asked skittishly.

"Because the elves have erected some sort of energy barrier around the city that keeps everyone in. I wouldn't try to cross it," Remona warned evenly, "or it might alert them to your presence."

"It actually starts about half a mile from here," Liora added seriously.

Norbert sighed wearily. "Great . . . well then it looks like I might as well head to the coast. I doubt those bastard monsters can block an entire ocean," he reasoned anxiously. "But that would also take me back dangerously close to the prison…." He muttered fearfully more to himself than anyone.

"Can I ask how you escaped to begin with? I know you said it was just a fluke but I'd still like to know," Liora requested politely. "I promise that I won't expect it to work for anyone else," she assured, trying to mask the desperate hue in her voice.

Norbert eyed her reluctantly and sighed. "I guess it won't do any harm by telling you. After all, the two of you could have turned me in by now….," he agreed at last. "After all, you said they have your mom and I can sympathize," he replied with empathy.

"I would be immensely grateful," Liora assured sincerely.

"Like I said, I wouldn't get your hopes up, because the chance that your mother would be in my same cell is very low. Especially if she is someone important. However, if you want to rescue someone from cell cluster 4-A, there's a set of windows high on the wall in the back. There's one loose bar, third from the left on the right-most window that loosens the clay blocks underneath it to the left and the one directly underneath. There are two loose bars in the left window that move blocks adjacent to them as well. I'm sorry but I can't remember the exact ones they were. Anyway that combination jars enough blocks loose that you can slip them out and create a small hole out of the cell. This is also assuming of course that you don't have those damned guards watching you day and night. Anyway, to keep them from noticing I was gone straightaway I put the bricks back, so they might still be using that cell to hold people. But that's all I know. I hope it helps," he informed with a shrug.

"Thank you very much," Liora replied with gratitude.

"Let's go, it's nearing dark," Remona affirmed to her companion with a nod.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Liora asked the fugitive in concern.

He nodded. "I'll make for the coast on the far side. There are a couple of pirate ships docked there that I've heard about and I know somebody that might be able to get me aboard one of their crews and out of this hole. Surely somebody there will accept some Ricerian Cider as payment for a voyage," he formulated out loud.

"Pirates?" Remona asked in distain.

The man just scoffed and waved his hands dismissively. "I should've called 'em free traders. They've got things right. But never you mind about that, I'd get going before some more elves or winglies wander by. Farewell," he dismissed with a half-hearted wave.

Remona didn't like the fact that Norbert remained where he was and watched them leave, but when he was out of sight, she was relieved.

A flash of brilliant white light preceded the reappearance of Illumane. She came trotting out of the remains of an empty canal to their right. The unicorn looked them over thoroughly, moving her white head up and down.

"What's she doing?" Remona asked curiously, watching the dazzling white creature assess them.

"We're fine," Liora assured the unicorn with a tender pat on the side of the nose. Turning to Remona she answered, "She was checking us over for injuries. She wanted to make sure we are okay," she supplied. "I think," she added afterwards uncertainly.

The unicorn dipped its magnificent head downwards, spilling royal purple hair into its eyes. It was an unmistakable nod. Remona blinked in surprise as she locked her eyes into the unicorn's. After a brief moment of holding the glance between them, the unicorn looked away with a snort that sounded disapproving.

"She understands our words and our gestures," Remona marveled aloud.

"Yes," Liora affirmed truthfully. "Unicorns are as smart as we are," she relayed.

"I can see that," Remona replied simply. "I can also see that she doesn't like me much," she continued, slightly offended. "Though I haven't the slightest idea why."

Liora looked between Remona and the unicorn and as she did so, her dragoon spirit emitted a dull glimmer. The small ray of white light wrapped itself around a tendril of golden sparkles from the unicorn's aura. Liora's brow furrowed in a confused expression, and it appeared for a moment that the two were having some sort of unheard conversation not that different from what she shared with Rose.

"She's not sure about your energy," Liora translated at last. "She says it feels off to her and it makes her uncomfortable."

Remona raised an eyebrow. "So what are you saying? That she thinks I'm a bad person? Does she think I'm going to hurt her?" she asked with a deep frown.

Liora shook her head. "I don't think it has anything to do with you personally or your individual energy. I think it's your dragoon spirit she's not overly fond of," Liora admitted.

"That would make sense," Rose interjected unheard by everyone but Remona. "The unicorn has a high sensitivity to elemental energies and most especially those that oppose her own. Two elementally conflicting energies have the potential to cause great damage when used against each other. I wouldn't let it bother you," Rose furthered. "It could also be the fact that in the time before the dragon campaign the darkness dragons where the primary hunters of unicorns. The other dragons ate horses, sheep, and the like. They ate unicorns. It's not a surprise that your dragoon energy sets her on edge," Rose explained.

The unicorn exhaled heavily through its nostrils as Rose finished her statement, as if in verification. Illumane was staring absently past Remona, watching something and she subtly turned her head to the right, just as Rose drifted in the same direction. The thought suddenly occurred to Remona before Rose spoke it out loud.

"She can see me," Rose announced simply.

"And hear you too," Remona added absently, knowing this to be the truth.

"Hear what? Remona?" Liora asked, waving a hand in front of her friend's face to catch her attention.

Remona shook her head. "Sorry, I was just wondering aloud," she apologized.

Liora looked skeptical. "You seem to do that a lot," she pointed out. "Are you alright?"

Remona nodded. "Yes. I just have a lot on my mind and sometimes I guess it just spills out," she answered, making up the vaguest excuse possible.

Liora nodded, though she still appeared disbelieving. "I can understand that," she responded truthfully. "So what do you think we should do? We're supposed to meet Ricki's friend in an hour, judging by the position of the sun and we have no idea where he is. Norbert said that we should try the east and central sectors, but if memory serves those are the two biggest in the entire city. And it's not like we can openly go around asking about it. We're going to have to find some sort of disguise so the elves and winglies don't notice us immediately," Liora surmised thoughtfully.

Remona nodded. "You're right about the disguise bit, and that's going to have to include Illumane as well, though I have no idea how we're going to manage that. It would also be best if we moved under cover of darkness; it will eliminate curious people out during the day if there are any. If I remember correctly, Ricki said his friend was the local baker. Can't be too many of them in the city, so I suggest we use that avenue instead of the old inn. I don't think we're going to make our meeting in time," she calculated.

"That's a good point, considering I don't think we are either," Liora concurred. "I haven't been to Furni in a long time, but I think I know where the bakery might be," she recalled. "When I was seven, mother bought me a carrot cake pastry from a man somewhere near a big tower. I remember because it quickly became my favorite dessert. If I recall correctly, Furni only has one big tower and that's in the eastern district. Maybe we should check there first," Liora offered as she reminisced.

"I think you're on to something there," Remona added with a stout nod. "I remember Ricki saying something about the eastern fringes of the city."

"Remona," Liora said grimly as she looked in front of them to an upturned cobblestone road overlapped by innumerable pieces of charred and broken debris, "We have a problem."

Remona turned quickly to survey the trail, expecting something to be immediately wrong. There was nothing that she could see, only the two of them on an obliterated and abandoned remnant of road.

"What is it?" she asked hastily.

"The eastern side of the city was sealed off during peacetime. I don't suspect that's changed. We have no way of getting into the east sector without first going through all the rest," Liora recollected seriously.

Remona growled in displeasure. "How many sectors would that be?" she asked keenly.

"Two at least, counting the one we're in now," Liora answered knowledgably.

Remona sighed in relief. "Well, that's not so bad. Don't scare me like that. For a moment I thought you were about to say like a hundred or something," she admitted earnestly.

Liora's firm frown didn't change. "It wouldn't be so bad, except we have to, for certain, go through the central sector," she continued sourly.

"Which means what?" Remona asked crisply, not understanding what Liora expected her to already realize.

"Remona, the central sector is General Ziran's base of operations and for the winglies under Bardel as well. I remember seeing the troops concentrated there on the map," she explained gravely.

Remona's earlier hint of humor faded entirely. "Is there another way? Through the sectors, I mean? Any at all, even if it's longer?" she asked, trying to formulate an alternate strategy.

Liora shook her head, sending her blonde hair into her face. She brushed the stray strands out of her eyes with the back of her hand before replying. "No. They all take us through there," she reaffirmed solemnly.

Remona promptly stopped walking and took a seat on a pile of rubble. She crossed her arms over her chest and considered to herself silently.

"Well," she said after a moment of hesitation. "Then we have choices to make. The way I see it, we don't HAVE to meet with this man. We can attempt to find out information on our own and given what you just told me that might make the most sense. We could conceal ourselves in one of the other sectors and see what we can learn through reconnaissance. Or, we could simply go to the prison ourselves and look for your mother on our own knowing that she may or may not be there. I know the prison is on the east side, but with the way that Norbert guy was talking we might be able to access it from the water if you want to try that route. Our other option is to simply brave the threat the central sector possesses and use the utmost caution not to get caught," the young darkness dragoon suggested.

Liora closed her eyes briefly in thought. An unpleasant look crossed her face and her nose crinkled as if she smelled something rotten. Remona knew by looking what her fellow dragoon had chosen.

"Seriously?" Remona asked in mild surprise, continuing to study Liora's face before she opened her eyes. "Why? Such a direct approach is unlike you," she observed honestly. "How are we going to hide your unicorn?" Remona added, casting a puzzled gaze at the shimmering equine.

Liora sighed heavily as she opened her eyes and turned to her fellow dragoon. "Remona, this is all my fault to begin with. I didn't tell my mother I was leaving, and so she came after me without thinking. Now she's in the hands of that vile, wretched monster. I don't seriously believe the elves would hold my mother in a regular prison, she's too important. That leaves only one other place they would keep her," Liora speculated tensely.

Remona nodded grimly, knowing that Liora was most likely correct in her assumption. "You're right. They'd most likely be holding her in thick of their strongest fighters knowing that you'll try to rescue her," Remona finished for her.

"Yes," Liora affirmed quietly, "and don't ask me why Remona, but I have a feeling time is of the essence. I think they might try and move her somewhere out of the city and then we'll never find her," the blonde archer said with desperation. "The quickest way we'll know-," she proposed boldly.

"—is to cut straight through the center," Remona concluded, swiping her flat hand decisively through the air. "This is going to be insanely dangerous," she asserted with pursed lips.

"I know. I'm not asking you to go with me," Liora countered, though she was apologetic.

"You don't need to," Remona assured. "We're in this together," she promised starkly.

"Thank you, Remona. I can't tell you how grateful I am to have you here," Liora replied sincerely.

"It's what friends do," Remona answered dismissively, though as casually as she delivered the statement, it was far from the powerful sentiment that was sweeping her emotions. She had just called someone her friend and truly meant it for the first time. For her, though she didn't show it, the moment had been profound. "Speaking of which, what are we going to do about Illumane?" Remona repeated, turning to the unicorn.

"She definitely can't go in with us like that. Everything would be over the moment we walk in. And I highly doubt humans are allowed to have or even use horses frequently around here. That's saying we somehow get her to look like a regular charger anyway," she added, not having a solution for this particular problem in mind.

"Maybe we won't need to," Liora began hesitantly. "Remona did anyone else see you besides the ninja?" she continued suggestively.

Remona's eyes narrowed. She had a vague idea of what her friend was about to suggest. "No, but I think it would be a safe assumption to believe she told someone else about me," she countered in earnest.

A small smile fleeted across Liora's lips. "I don't think she told them anything specific. Judging by what I saw of her back in the tower she's very prideful. On top of that, she probably thinks you're one of the refugees and not associated with me in any other way. But either way, I don't think she'll be a concern. She had something to do somewhere else from what I heard. Remona, I think we should disguise ourselves, you especially, as guards and pretend to turn Illumane in. I think the General probably has just as much of a vendetta against her as he does against me. Once we're in, she can teleport outside and hide while we probe around for information. If any place in this whole city would yield my mother's whereabouts, their command central would," the blonde archer reasoned.

Remona exhaled a displeased breath. "That's probably true, but neither of us are elves or winglies. Even if we steal some uniforms I highly doubt we'd be able to pass for them. Even if we use magic to disguise ourselves somehow, both races have the ability to sense it. They'd "sniff" us out before we got anywhere," she pointed out seriously, "because we don't have any magical energy of our own."

"That's not true," Liora corrected, touching her glassy white dragoon spirit. "These are brimming with magical energy that only we have access to."

"But how would we manipulate it enough for a disguise? I don't know about you, but I don't think they work that way," Remona added, considering Liora's suggestion.

A bright shower of golden sparkles suddenly raced up the length of Illumane's horn. The unicorn walked matter-of-factly over to Liora's side and gave her shoulder a nudge. Clearly she knew something she wanted to share.

Liora turned to her, puzzled. "What is it?" she asked the beaming equine curiously.

The unicorn moved around Liora in a full circle and then stomped her golden hooves into the clay-littered dirt, stirring up some of the fine off-white powder. The flakes of debris shimmered in the air around Liora's body. White and golden wisps of light intertwined into the dusty mist from Liora's dragoon spirit and from Illumane's horn. When the combination of bright beams died down, and the smoky dust cleared, Liora had disappeared and a wingly woman stood in her place. Down to the color of her hair, which had shifted from blonde to silver-purple, Liora was unrecognizable as even remotely human. But a physical deception was far from the only thing they needed to pull of this mission successfully. Remona strained her senses, scanning for any abnormal energy pattern she could distinguish, though she knew more than likely it was a moot point. An elf or a wingly would have highly attuned senses, and she as a human would be lucky to pick up on a gross abnormality.

Not surprisingly, Remona didn't sense anything out of the ordinary. She was able to distinguish Liora's presence, and that worried her, subtle though it was.

"You still feel like you," Remona pointed out. "At least from what I can tell," she added uncertainly after a moment.

"That's going to happen," Rose informed simply from beside Remona. "Every being alive has an energy signature unique to them. Unless Liora changes completely into a different entity, her energy pattern will always be the same."

"Then what's the point of this?" Remona muttered to Rose quietly under her breath as Liora checked herself over, marveling at what Illumane's magic had accomplished. "They'll find us out for sure."

Rose scrutinized Liora's façade carefully, never turning to look at Remona. "This entire plan is dependent upon the grudge between the elves and winglies. Liora and Illumane seem to think that the dislike between the two groups makes them less coordinated. That might be true," Rose speculated before Remona could interrupt. "If they each think themselves superior to the other and they don't have one uniform leader they all accept, then they likely have their own hierarchies and manage their own personnel. Ergo, the elves potentially don't have a running list of the winglies working with them and in that case, definitely wouldn't be familiar with all of them. If this is true, this situation also works in reverse," Rose explicated, analyzing Liora's strategy.

"I see," Remona acknowledged. "There will be more elves than winglies present, it's their stronghold and they're less likely to recognize a pair of random winglies than they are elves."

"Exactly," Liora replied, having overheard Remona's remark.

"But that could also be a problem," Remona formulated, "because if we have too much anonymity they'll get suspicious as well. I don't know about you, but if my enemies are on the loose and two people that nobody's ever heard of before just walk in and hand me a unicorn that was last seen in their company, I'd think it might be too good to be true."

"The solution is simple then," Liora admitted, taking Remona's advice into consideration. "We need to find two people they will recognize, incapacitate them, and take their place. Illumane can make us look like anything," she proposed, gaining an affirming gesture from the unicorn beside them.

"But that still gives us the energy familiarity," Remona reminded seriously.

"What we need is something like a patrol schedule," Liora furthered in consideration. "We need to swap ourselves for people that the elves have probably seen a lot of, like guards. But at the same time we need to make sure they're people that don't spend a lot of time around the elves otherwise. Tricky I know," she finished apologetically.

"But it makes sense," Remona added thoughtfully. "Well then, our best course of action is still reconnaissance. We should scout out the area first, or find someone in town that knows their patterns who's willing to talk," she suggested.

Liora sighed deeply in frustration. "There's only one problem," she finalized.

"What's that?" Remona asked.

"It'll take too long. We don't have that kind of time if the feeling I'm getting is true," Liora replied ruefully.

"You already have an answer," Rose reminded simply. "You saw three winglies on patrol due to be reporting back in. If you hurry you could possibly overtake them, but you'll have to deal with the extra and stash him somewhere."

Remona gave the ghost a skeptical glance from the corner of her eye, but then relayed the suggestion to Liora.

The young archer's eyes lit up brightly, giving the sign she approved of this plan. "Then let's hurry. They're flying so they've likely already got a pretty good lead on us!" she exclaimed in a hurried tone.

Remona simply nodded as she and Liora began to quickly move in the direction the three winglies had gone. She was quiet for the most part, but managed a muted "What do you think of this plan?" to Rose as she floated alongside them.

Her spectral mentor considered to herself for a brief moment and then answered with an uncertain expression. "It's a good plan in theory, but there are too many "ifs" in this for my liking. Before you ask, I encouraged the two of you because I believe Liora is correct in the fact you need to get there in a hurry. Although I'm not technically a dragoon anymore I do feel a great deal of what you do because I'm still connected to the darkness dragoon spirit. I'll give you this warning: things seldom go like planned. But," she continued somewhat sarcastically, "I'm sure you've already noticed that part."

Remona snorted briskly in reply and was about to retort with something snide when she heard the subtle thrum of energy. She reached across herself and grabbed Liora's shoulder, halting her movement just as the three of them came within sight of a wingly patrol. She could also make out a fair amount of noise nearby through the ruined structures, and she knew they must be nearing the inhabited areas of the city. From what Remona guessed on first glance, they had about two or three minutes to do something worthwhile before the group passed beyond reach and they missed their window of opportunity. She also noticed with a sour frown, that this particular group wasn't the one they'd seen earlier, but they were the only group out in the desolated open.

"It's not them," Liora whispered quietly before looking at Remona questioningly. "Do you still want to do this? Do you want to go ahead and risk it?" she asked with uncertainty.

Remona muttered a curse under her breath. "I don't like it," she admitted in earnest. "We have no idea who those guys are. They could be like the General's best friends or something, but we might not get another chance," she realized aloud. Thinking quickly, she proposed an amendment to their plans. "Our other plan isn't going to work. Here's the short version because we're running out of time. We won't present Illumane, it's too risky. There are three of them, but I want you to pick off the one in the back after Illumane causes a little distraction. He looks far enough away that the others won't notice immediately if we do this subtly. You're going to take his place, and then call out to the others and "capture" me. Illumane needs to look like she's resisting and then teleport out of here and hide somewhere. She should keep an eye on us and meet up with us later. The others won't suspect you if you don't say anything and then the three of you will bring me in," Remona explained. "We'll go from there," she finished swiftly.

Liora frowned, but Remona left her no room for complaint or a counter suggestion. "Just do it, both of you and hurry up!" she urged, grasping the handle of her sapphire-hued sword.

Liora turned to Illumane to make the request, but the unicorn was already acting. Being careful not to exert too much energy, the unicorn dispatched a small ray of golden light from her horn that passed through the air in a glimmer and poked the rear-most wingly in the butt.

His translucent blue wings tightened as he flew and he suddenly became stiff, turning around instantly. Like Remona had hoped, he didn't say anything to the others, but lingered to look around the area.

"Aim for—" Remona began as Liora notched her white bow.

"—the helmet. I know," Liora finished simply as she released the crystal-headed projectile. The arrow sailed effortlessly through the air in a blink and collided expertly with the front of the wingly's metal helm. A slight chime was the only noise either of them could hear and in a shower of golden sparkles, Illumane disappeared and reappeared next to the falling wingly. The unicorn slowed his decent with her white magic and when he was on the ground, she touched the earth next to him with her golden horn. Very fine strands of multi-colored light swirled over the unconscious wingly, tethering him into the earth and then in a shimmer of soundless colors, a rock appeared over where he lay.

Seemingly at the same time, the air around Liora changed and she took on the captured wingly's form. Remona looked her over and nodded briefly, thankful that the unicorn could understand human language and adapt to their plan quickly. She had even managed to disguise Liora's bow as some type of half-staff and no one could see any traces of the other gear she'd been carrying at all.

"Make sure you take my sword before the others do," Remona reminded sharply as she unsheathed the spectacular blade. "I don't want to lose it to them," she added seriously. "Ready, set, go," she announced in a breath as she sprung from her hiding place.

"HEY! YOU THERE!" Liora called loudly, gaining the attention of the other two winglies some fifty feet away. "HUMAN! STOP!" she bellowed in a voice clearly not her own.

Remona made an impressive show as she brandished her blade lavishly. She made a half-hearted swing at Liora before Illumane jumped between them, knocking into Liora's side ever-so slightly. The unicorn whisked the tip of her horn through one of Liora's faux wings, causing it to ripple and then the tip disappeared. As if they'd planned it, Liora howled in pretend agony, catching on quickly to the detail they'd overlooked.

Remona was amazed at the level of intelligence the unicorn had just displayed. Illumane had just fixed a slip up that could have cost them everything. Remona had forgotten all about the fact winglies could fly and the others would have been expecting Liora to as well. This way, that hazard had been taken out of the picture and it also made their act more convincing in the process. In a brief instant, the two other winglies closed the distance between them and Remona inconspicuously let one knock her over as she turned and tried to run away. Her sword went clattering to the ground, where Liora furtively picked it up while still pretending to clutch at her back in misery.

Like planned, Illumane disappeared in a flash of dazzling color as the second wingly tried to grab hold of her.

"Not so slippery after all, you little leech!" one of the winglies hissed nastily, digging his nails into her arms as he lifted her to her feet and bound her hands with magical ropes.

"Thought you'd strike your superiors as you tried to run away, did you?" the other sneered at her. "Vai, how badly are you injured?" the other wingly huffed, turning to Liora swiftly.

"You filthy animal!" Liora growled in her disguised voice. "You'll pay for what you've done to my wing!" she snarled convincingly and drew back her hand to hit Remona. She swung downwards halfway, and for a moment Remona wasn't sure Liora was going to stop. Halfway to hitting Remona, a thought seemed to dawn on her and she grabbed the back of Remona's tank-top instead.

"You and your damn horse!" she spat vehemently, following through with her pretend rage.

One of the other winglies played directly into Liora's hands. "Vai…that wasn't a horse!" he exclaimed suddenly. "It was way too fast! It had to be a unicorn!"

The third wingly's tone swiftly became elated. "Yes! Grel's right! That must have been the one General Ziran was offering a huge reward for! And that makes this leech—"he growled, kicking Remona's leg roughly, "someone the General's been looking for too!"

Remona didn't even flinch, although the strike did hurt considerably. Instead, she just chose to growl defiantly at the wingly.

"Well, well," Liora jeered through her impersonation, "looks like you're too good for our luxurious prison and I definitely can't kill you know. Believe me if your fancy white horsey hadn't been present, I'd have blasted you into oblivion! We need to take her to General Ziran right away," she declared to the group at large.

The wingly named Grel gave her an odd look. "I think we ought to take her to Dashen first, and then he can take her in. I think she must have hit your head Vai, since when did we put any elf on the top of our priority list?"

"Take it easy on him Grel. That was a pretty nasty injury. I'm surprised he's not on the ground squirming like a worm. We'll take her to Dashen, I'm sure that's what he meant to say anyway. We have our orders," the third wingly decided.

"Looks like we'll have to walk though. It'll probably take an hour for his energy to repair that spot. She got you good, are you sure you're okay Vai?" Grel asked Liora skeptically.

"I'll be better," Liora snapped, "when we bring her in. I'm keeping this," she asserted, tucking Remona's sword into her belt, "at least until we see Dashen."

The third wingly shrugged simply. "Sure, whatever will soften the blow to your pride. Having to walk in is embarrassing," he taunted lightly.

"You," Grel growled in Remona's face, "get walking!"

The group started forward just as a company of four elves garbed in black came racing into view. The one in front had a jet-black feather jutting from his helmet and a severe attitude as he caught sight of the three winglies and Remona.

"You three, give me that prisoner immediately!" he barked rudely without regard or formality.

The wingly called Grel scowled openly. "No way, tent-ears! She's ours to bring in!"

The elf's upper lip curled dangerously. "This area isn't under your jurisdiction. It's under ours. And you know the rules. All prisoners of high import are to be brought immediately to General Ziran, not your pathetic little firefly, Bardel!" he continued crossly.

"Who said anything about her being of high import?" the third wingly retorted, glowering at the elf.

"My hearing is ten times what yours is pixie, and two of our scouts just saw her unicorn run right past!" the elf insisted in a harsh manner. "General Ziran will want to see this one for certain. And if you were smart, you wouldn't forget who it is that Lord Nvernias is backing in all of this. US!" he reminded harshly.

"You just want all the credit for this! To make us look like incompetent pups!" Liora snorted with disrespect, gaining an appreciative nod from her two fellows. "You want to bring her in, fluffy, you'll bring us with you to give the report! We won't be overlooked, and besides, I have her weapon and I'm sure your General will want to see that too. I'm sure as devildom not giving it to any of you sorry lot," she insisted. "You'll probably lose it," she taunted.

"Captain Svihel, forget them, Sir. They're just a bunch of no-names anyway. If they want to come, let them. We're wasting the General's time right now, word's already reached him. And you heard about what happened to Captain Razaith…" one of the underling elves reminded with a tense shudder.

The elf Captain scowled, but seemed to acknowledge whatever point his subordinate was making. "Hurry up fairies, we haven't got all day!" he snapped as two elves moved to flank the wingly holding Remona.

"I'm going to find Dashen," the third wingly announced plainly. "He's going to hear about this right now," he added with discontent. "Grel, make sure these twinkle-toed punks don't run over Vai," he snorted before he sprouted his wings and flew away.

"This way, human," Grel hissed and shoved Remona roughly as the procession proceed around the corner of ruins and onto what appeared to be a main thoroughfare.

Remona had been expecting a grim sight, but when the remnants of central Furni became visible, even she was taken aback by the destruction. When compared to their current scenery, her home slum looked like a paradise. They walked in silence and as Remona looked around herself at the wreckage of houses, businesses, and humanity, she also checked the scene for Rose. She didn't see the ghost anywhere but a sudden tingle from her choker gave the ghost's locale away. It was the smart thing to do, Remona guessed. She had no idea if the elves or winglies would be capable of seeing her.

As they passed down into a dry, cracked canal and then up the other side, Remona found herself staring at a half-standing clay house. The whole half-dome couldn't have been more than thirty feet from side to side and the entire upper portion was missing as well as part of the left wall. There were a dozen or more elves in the tiny, scorched interior and two winglies. It was definitely an odd place to have a base of operations, and one she would never have thought to check. Everything about it was inconspicuous, save the number of people inside.

The group passed through the crumbling doorway and into the midst of the gathering inside the house. The lead elf nodded to three others standing around a crate in the back, and they simultaneously moved aside in respect.

"Take the prisoner up first and don't botch this," the elf named Captain Svihel demanded of Grel the wingly. Luckily, Grel motioned for Liora to accompany him. "Come up with me, Vai or they'll leave you here," he stated truthfully as the three of them moved toward the crate.

Remona was pushed roughly forward into the crate, but surprisingly, she didn't trip over. A tingle passed through her skin and she immediately recognized the presence of dark magic. A moment later, everything blurred and then the three of them where somewhere else entirely.

Taking a look around, this new place appeared to be some sort of square building. They were currently in a broad, stone hallway. The end of the hall opened into a grand room of the same type of stone and Remona caught a glimpse of a large mahogany table and a velvet-lined chair at the back. Behind the table, there appeared to be a stone staircase leading to some upper level. Strange, because none of the buildings she'd been able to see in Furni had been over a story tall and none of them had been in this pristine of a condition. Her only conclusion was that they had been teleported somewhere.

A few moments later, the small company of elves surfaced behind them and they started forward again. On the way into the large room, two other elves rapidly rushed down the hall speaking quickly between themselves in elvish.

She was completely startled when Rose spoke from around her neck. Apparently, Rose understood the gibberish and it was a good thing too.

"They're taking her to the docks," she announced hurriedly and then was immediately quiet.

Remona tensed in her captor's hold and stiffly looked around to see if anyone had picked up on Rose's ethereal voice. Fortunately, it seemed like everyone but Remona was oblivious to the ghost's warning so it was time to pass it on.

"They said the docks," Remona blurted, trying to sound random and hoping Liora would understand.

She was never certain if the archer did get her meaning, because the next instant she was pushed into the large, crowded room. There would be no opportunity to talk now and here was where her plan had ended. She inwardly cursed herself as she was brought in front of the grandiose table. The hideous, disfigured elf seated behind it eyed her maliciously and she knew without being told who he was. She thought she felt Liora stir behind her, but she couldn't be sure.

This was definitely a bad situation. Remona had no idea where they were, no idea how to get out, or even if they could. The two of them were outnumbered at least twenty to one and to make matters worse, all of their opponents were capable of using magic. She had originally thought they'd take her to a jail cell or something and then Liora would free her, but as she continued to look at General Ziran's sinister expression, she knew he probably had no intent of letting her go anywhere and most especially not anywhere that trivial. And at the same time, she knew she was about to be parted from Liora. They had gained Sister Miranda's momentary whereabouts, but at what cost? Remona sincerely doubted that they'd be able to escape and make it unnoticed to the docks before Sister Miranda was taken away. Rose was right. This plan and the one before it had turned out to be a total disaster so far and Remona wasn't sure she wanted to know how much worse things were going to get. Her stomach knotted nervously and she was almost completely sure Liora was going through the same mental unease behind her as they approached General Ziran's desk.

"Not that close wingly, I could already smell her human filth from the city surface," General Ziran snorted rudely and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "So then, what have we here?" he asked snidely, as he gazed Remona up and down calculatingly. "You definitely don't look like a Furni leech. You're too healthy," he remarked icily.

"General Ziran, Sir," Captain Svihel acknowledged with a respectful bow, "our scouts found this girl outside the central sector in the company of—"he began.

"Now wait just a second!" Grel growled indignantly, "YOU didn't find anything! It was me and my buddy Vai here! You just came late as usual to try and steal our glory!"

Remona expected General Ziran to rebuke the wingly or say something about elvish superiority, but he didn't. He was quiet for a moment as he continued to scour Remona with his almost ebony eyes and then he inspected Liora and Grel. Remona grappled fiercely with herself to stay calm and collected, but most of all, indifferent. She didn't want to give General Ziran any indication that Liora wasn't a wingly underling.

"I see," the scarred elf affirmed coldly after his momentary pause. "So then tell me, wingly over there, what happened?" he asked, directed at Liora.

Liora didn't miss a beat from the sound of her answer. "Well, I was just out on patrol and I heard an odd noise. When I went to investigate I found this human rat behind a rock. I tried to grab her and then something hit me so fast I didn't get to see what it was," she relayed. "Grel says it was a unicorn!" Liora added, trying to sound amazed.

General Ziran interlaced his long, spindly fingers and put both hands on top of the table. A flicker of hatred passed behind his eyes when Liora mentioned the unicorn, but there was something else there as well. Remona knew immediately he'd made the association between Liora and Illumane.

"That it was. My own scouts verified the creature was spotted outside the central sector not an hour ago. What division of Bardel's are you two from? What rank?" Ziran inquired snappily and almost randomly, looking at the pair of them with scrutiny.

Remona caught the tense breath in her throat and swallowed it slowly. This was extremely bad. There was no way Liora could possibly know that information.

"We're from his fourth division," Liora supplied immediately.

"I'm a third-wing in rank," Grel responded across her.

"And so am I," Liora continued, much to Remona's surprise.

Grel didn't give any sign of objection and neither did anyone else in the room. Somehow, Liora must have given the right set of answers.

"Well, now I can tell him that _some _of his people aren't _completely_ incompetent," Ziran snorted briskly. "Which brings us to you, human vermin," he sneered at Remona.

"Ah. I was beginning to think you forgot I was here," Remona retorted sarcastically, glaring at him spitefully.

"Typical. You've got the barbed tongue that's characteristic of your feeble and unworthy species," he stated nastily. "Well then, let's just get to business. What are you doing in my city, roach?" he started darkly.

Remona scoffed. "Last thing I heard, this place was property of Mille Seseu and Queen Theresa. You're trespassing here, scar-face," she replied hotly.

General Ziran actually let out a dry laugh. "This is getting nowhere, as I knew it would," he remarked casually.

"Then why waste your breath?" Remona snorted. "Do you just like to hear yourself talk?"

"I already know who you are, and that—" General Ziran began as he stood from his chair.

It was at that moment am obnoxiously loud wingly raced into the room on his wings, accompanied by the one from earlier.

"General Ziran, I have just as much right as you to—!" the new wingly huffed furiously upon entry.

Ziran seemed to have been expecting something like this and wasn't interrupted by the noisy entrance in the slightest. "Glad you could join me for this Dashen," he remarked nonchalantly. "And I daresay you've arrived a critical moment. I was just telling the human slime over here that I know who she is already, so questioning isn't really necessary," he finished.

The wingly Remona guessed was Bardel eyed her blankly and then turned to Ziran impatiently. "Well? Who is she? I've never seen her before. She doesn't look any more impressive than a used snot-rag," he said crassly.

Several of the elves and winglies started to laugh at the remark, and General Ziran's maimed mouth twisted into a dark smile. Remona's stomach dropped into her feet as he turned to her, still smiling.

"Don't laugh too hard now, we are actually in quite distinguished company," he said in a falsely-sweet tone. General Ziran crisply snapped two of his fingers together and sent a ripple of dark energy washing through the area. The magic did nothing to Remona, and she felt it pass harmlessly through her dragoon spirit; however Liora's illusion immediately dissipated into nothing, exposing her for the entire gathering to see.

"Liora," Ziran purred darkly, "I never dreamed we'd meet again so soon. Of all things to wish for, here you are. A dragoon gift-wrapped on my doorstep," he finished with relish. "It saves me the trouble of looking for you."

Remona swiftly elbowed Grel in the gut while he was preoccupied and the dark ropes holding her vanished. Remona had only a brief instant to realize that they had been absorbed by her dragoon spirit.

Liora stood rooted to her spot tensely, however she did manage to draw her bow and string an arrow. She aimed directly for General Ziran as Remona moved beside her and grabbed her sword from Liora's belt, assuming a defensive position of her own. The mass of elves speckled with the occasional wingly closed in around the two of them in a circle, blocking all routes of escape.

General Ziran clicked his tongue as he eyed the two of them. "Tisk, tisk that won't work. You should know better than that, Liora. We've done this dance before, you and I," he mocked.

"How'd you know it was her?" Remona half-snarled.

Ziran laughed maliciously. "When you've seen all of someone's soul, it's hard _not_ to recognize them. But it's even easier when they're under a light-enhanced spell that only that damn beast is capable of producing! Where is your pet Liora?" he continued sarcastically, "You might as well have walked it in here with you! Today must be my lucky day, because you also got your grimy friend here to go along with you and pretend to be captured. And now I've got her, and _you_. You're _mine,_" Ziran boasted, although when he mentioned Liora and said the word mine, his eyes narrowed onto her exclusively. There was also something highly suggestive hidden in his words, and Remona couldn't help but feel repulsed when she figured it out.

The wingly named Bardel ogled Liora in disbelief. Apparently he knew her also. "You again?" he half-laughed. "Well human dirt, I don't see either of you going anywhere this time!" he declared triumphantly. "You're right Ziran. This is awfully considerate of them, to just turn themselves into us like this!"

Remona leveled her sapphire sword at an elf that was creeping closer to her from the right, and then announced to the room at large with more courage than she felt, "Well, that remains to be seen. You haven't gotten anything yet!"

"You say that like it's going to be a challenge," Bardel sneered in response. "In case you haven't noticed filth, there's only a hundred of us and two of you. And dragoon or no, your friend can't take us all on," he declared cockily.

"Try me," Liora asserted fiercely.

Ziran smirked heartily as he eyed her. "Well, we can do this the easy way, but I know you," the elf General taunted.

"I wouldn't want to disappoint you," Liora replied with an uncharacteristic attitude of her own. In that moment her dragoon spirit burst to life, filling the surrounding area with blinding white-silver light. A cylindrical beam of light encased her body and she was lifted into the air. Her clothes ripped off her petite frame in an array of brilliant, white feathers but then rearranged themselves into a spectacular suit of white armor before anything intimate could be glimpsed legitimately. In seconds that seemed to take awestruck hours, Remona watched her friend effortlessly become a dragoon like she had never struggled at all.

Liora was the first dragoon other than herself she'd seen and she had to admit, it was an impressive sight. Liora's armor carried a different pattern than hers; she was missing armor on her upper arms, lower legs, and over the flat of her stomach. Even though her armor appeared sparse to Remona, she had the distinct impression that it was not lacking in any way critical to her protection. As impressive as her armor was, her bow was even more so. It had nearly tripled in size and was now made of dazzling white metal. Remona noted curiously that Liora no longer had a quiver, but instinct told her she didn't need one. Though, most astounding of all were Liora's wings. Instead of being white, or even cream-colored, the folds of Liora's dragoon wings possessed a multicolored, iridescent sheen.

When Remona stopped seeing spots she realized that many of the elves and winglies immediately around them had been blasted backwards by a tremendous force, and that there was now a cup-like depression in the floor around them. Miraculously it seemed Remona had not been affected in the least by the blast or energy. If she had to guess it was because her dragoon spirit shielded her from it.

While their opposition had taken a setback, there were still a considerable amount of opponents left. Remona highly doubted Liora would be able to take them all on alone. No sooner had the thought of transforming herself crossed her mind, than did Liora shoot it down.

"No," she countered, not understood by anyone else.

"You can't—" Remona began to her floating dragoon friend in all seriousness.

"I'm not going to," Liora promised as General Ziran eyed them both oddly and started in their direction along with a horde of others.

The dragoon Liora brought her bow into a firing position as a beam of multicolored light coalesced onto the string. Remona only had a second to blink in wonder as the beautiful combination of colors turned into an energy projectile and burned a path through the bodies of three elves and a wingly between the two of them and the stairs. Liora immediately fired another light arrow into the ceiling directly above them, causing it to rumble dangerously before it burst open and starting raining down large chunks of rock.

In the middle of the confusion she'd just caused, Liora grabbed Remona around the waist with one armored arm and then kicked off powerfully into the air. Liora expertly dodged a falling rock and then flew overhead of the crowd and up the staircase behind Ziran's desk.

The upstairs of the building was much like the bottom floor; however, it was open to the room below and on one side into a series of wide, arching windows. Liora speed immediately towards one of the door-sized openings and was immediately blocked by General Ziran, whom materialized in front of them. She diverted toward another window, but Bardel barred her path. She looked around herself for a quick means of exit, but found that there were none. Liora unfurled her wings to stop their forward momentum and then hastily landed, seeing no other plausible option.

A number of elves quickly ascended the staircase from the collapsing room below and cut off their option of retreat back the way they'd come.

"You're hurting my feelings, Liora," General Ziran commented sarcastically. "We've only just said hello again. My elves are also feeling cheated," he remarked casually, "they were hoping for a fight. I thought you weren't going to disappoint us? Well not to worry, dragoon. The Shihidar will be here momentarily and that, if you should so choose, will be a most enjoyable battle to watch!"

A shrill screech thundered from somewhere nearby and Remona instantly recognized what was about to happen. They needed to escape. Now. Or they would be overwhelmed and trapped. Remona peered past Bardel out of the window and saw with a manner of surprise that there were a couple of thin clouds drifting lazily by. They were up extremely high from the looks of it, and the only non-fatal way down would be to fly. Liora would have to be looking out for herself, she couldn't carry Remona and fight off whatever attacks were being thrown at her too. Remona needed a set of wings of her own.

"There's no way down but flying," Remona informed her dragoon friend quickly.

"Which means you'll be staying up here with us, human fungus," Bardel laughed wickedly. "Your friend's about to be too busy to save herself let alone your sorry ass."

"That would be a true statement," Ziran grinned. "Liora, you do know that the opposite of light is dark, don't you? And you also had to know that every person here has a spell of that variety," he continued mockingly as dark elemental magic formed on the hands of every being Remona could see. They were surrounded on each side and recalling what Rose said earlier about elemental opposites doing tremendous damage, Remona immediately became gravely concerned for Liora's safety.

_Rose_, she thought quickly channeling her thoughts into the dragoon spirit, _I can absorb their magic, can't I? Like earlier?_

The response was simple, but clear. _Yes._

"I'll give you an option Liora," Ziran began, "Surrender right now and give me the dragoon spirit, or face the rather _unpleasant _alternative," he offered. "Personally, I'd rather not destroy a valuable asset, but the choice is yours."

"And what about my friend?" Liora asked, unimpressed by the offer in the slightest.

"She's finished either way," he laughed sinisterly. "This offer is only for you."

"I'm sorry but she'll be declining that offer," Remona stated simply as the multitude of beings prepared to launch their darkness spells. "I will be as well," she declared, un-intimidated. She stepped boldly beside the dragoon Liora, prepared for what she needed to do. Far from her earlier reservations, a familiar sensation was seeping through her body, giving her a profound sense of confidence. They may have been outnumbered, but suddenly that didn't matter anymore. Liora was in danger, and that urgent sensation, coupled with Remona's own emotions sparked the change. The feeling washing over her was cold, but it also burned like fire without causing pain. Remona heard someone say something but in a second she was gone, encased in a dome of pure darkness. Bright pink streaks of plasma pierced the inky domain and then swirled with the omnipresent darkness to become solid armor on her body. Black nothing poured over her sword like water, melding it into the weapon of a dragoon. With a final caress, the darkness wrapped itself around her shoulders like a lover's embrace, leaving behind powerful wings when it withdrew.

When Remona could see again, wisps of black mist were swirling all around like smoke after a fire. Remona could feel the remnants of magic in the air around them and on her armor. Though their dark magic had felt perverse in the tunnel, as it hit her sapphire armor it became purified. The energy tendrils changed color from charcoal grey to ebony black and then began to swirl around Remona's body and gain momentum. She noticed that she was still standing beside Liora, whom was wearing an expression of surprise.

Remona noted thankfully that her transformation and the power of the darkness dragon had shielded the white-silver archer from any and all harm and had absorbed the tremendous amounts of dark energy. Liora's look of surprise soon became one of appreciation and admiration. She smiled as everyone else in the area gawked.

"Now _that_ was impressive," she said with a grin. "Not a single thing hit me! Nice armor," she added with a comical, yet sincere smile.

"Ditto," Remona found herself saying with a true smile of her own. "We're a good-looking pair. Now then, let's get out of here," she suggested just as General Ziran regained enough of himself to figure out what had happened.

Like the rest of his underlings he seemed momentarily dumbfounded by Remona's transformation and unable to speak at all. When he registered that there were not one, but two dragoons standing in front of him, the look on his face couldn't have been nastier.

"YOU!" he barked fiercely toward the darkness dragoon.

Remona turned to him, a smug grin coming to her face despite the situation. "I thought you said you already knew who I was? Judging by your reaction, it seems that you don't," she laughed as the dark mist around her began to ignite into black fire.

"You've already met my friend Liora, so allow me to introduce myself," she announced smugly as the raven-colored flames danced over her armor, "I'm Remona, the Darkness Dragoon."


	8. Chapter 8

AN: So I know it's been forever, I'm just glad to be writing again. A special thank you to Dani-Wolf for helping me get up and running with this chapter and thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Dragoon. All original copyrights and subsequent material is property of Sony Entertainment and their original creators.

Split Down the Middle

"Your name is of no consequence, blighted roach!" General Ziran snarled through his disfigured lips once his outraged astonishment started to fade, though half the actual sequence of vocabulary was lost upon Remona due to the inherent feral growl within the elf's tone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Remona taunted with a hearty grin as wisps of ebony raced through her armored fingers, tantalizing her to put them to use. "It might have something to do with your ugly mug being mangled. How about you Liora?" the darkness dragoon called back over her shoulder. "You catch that?"

Remona's eyes never left the steamed face of General Ziran, but she didn't need to physically see her friend to know that she was smiling as she responded.

"I can't be sure either, but I think it had something to do with the fact he hates us and he says he's not impressed," the blonde archer snorted with amusement, although Remona could feel her friend shift in anticipation behind her. Though Remona's spur of the moment transformation had occupied the elf and wingly coalition's attention for a few minutes and her absorption of their dark magic had stunned them into momentary inaction, the whole band of enemy soldiers was due to be regaining themselves and their offensive any second now. The time for gloating was over, and seemingly in the very same second the thought passed through Remona's consciousness, Rose mimicked the gesture with a physically inaudible hiss of her own.

"_Stop playing around. You both need to get out of here right now_," the ghost prodded in urgency.

Unsure of exactly how Rose was communicating with her inside the walls of her own mind, and rapidly putting aside all the unnerving implications that started to race through it, Remona decided to reply internally by thinking to herself. "_You don't have to tell me twice. Have any ideas for a successful exit? These goons are piled up against each other face-high around most of the windows, not to mention that wingly commander and General hideous over here."_

_"I wouldn't think it's that complicated. Bash them in the face and fly out_," Rose responded with apparent sarcasm. "_Though with that said, you two need to stay together and find a landing spot immediately without being followed, which is going to be easier said than done. Neither of you are at a level capable of sustaining flight for an extended period of time and I'm sure you remember what happened the last time you overdid it_," Rose recollected in seriousness.

Remona felt a grimace flicker over her features for a brief moment before it disappeared. The last and only time she'd ever made the dragoon transformation before was back in Denningrad and she'd flown from the cathedral to her home and back. She'd passed out cold from the overwhelming strain and fatigue. The memory brought a subliminal chill down Remona's spine. Neither she nor Liora could afford something like that to happen here, or it would spell the end for both of them and the clock was already ticking.

"Laugh it up while you still can, dear Liora," Ziran sneered while eyeing Remona with malice and Liora with that same disgusting mixture of hatred and what Remona thought was almost certainly lust. "I don't care if there are two of you dragoon pustules here or twenty. You're both in way over your pathetic little heads, as you'll soon see."

A dread-filling screech echoed eerily through the air almost in perfect sync with the maimed General's threat, twice as loud as it had been only moments before. It could only mean one thing; those tree monstrosities were approaching fast. Remona stomped her left boot on the floor and angled her toe towards the window in front of her, hoping Liora would somehow understand what she was about to try.

Perhaps it was a connection between the two dragoon spirits, but Liora got the message. Remona could hear the clink of her metallic white boots as the white-silver dragoon brought her heels together in a type of discreet acknowledgement.

"Well, I beg to differ scar-face," Remona scoffed defiantly once she was certain she and Liora were on the same wave of thought. "The only thing we'll be seeing is open air, and you, you'll be seeing the backside of my fist."

Without even an instant more hesitation Remona summoned the plentiful swirls of darkness energy into a revolving spiral around her sapphire gauntlet and lunged at General Ziran. The dark energy burned with ferocity as she flew in the cramped space, temporarily obscuring anything it happened to flicker over. As she'd expected, even General Ziran, an elf aligned with the darkness element, couldn't see through the superior haze of black nothing that her dragoon power had created and was temporarily rendered blind by it as her fist collided with his gut. The tendrils of burning ebony wrapped around Ziran's upper body upon contact with his pale skin like living ropes, seemingly animated by a will of their own. Licks of inky energy started pressing into his skin, visibly burning him, though nothing to the degree that Donaven the thug had experienced. Remona guessed the elf was at least partially inured to his own element, but was pleased nonetheless to see the pain her power was inflicting. Remona reached harmlessly into the tangle of raven ropes and grabbed the elf by the shoulder, flinging him sideways into the wingly named Bardel with the superhuman strength granted to her by the darkness dragon. Light as a feather, the elven commander collided with the airborne wingly and the two tumbled onto the floor in a heap, barely avoiding a fall out of the open window.

Remona darted across the stone floor to the edge of the window and then launched herself into the air. The breath caught in her throat as she began to freefall out from the fortress, which, after looking down, she realized must have been at least three or more miles above ground. Nothing looked familiar on what minimal landscape she could make out below; all she saw in any direction looked like barren grey dirt. After a moment that seemed like an hour Remona realized she was still falling and she fought back a second of panic. Disoriented and veins pumping with adrenaline, she'd almost forgotten she could fly. A disapproving tingle passed through every inch of her armor, almost as if Rose or maybe even the darkness dragon itself where giving her a gentle chide. She snorted to herself embarrassedly and quickly unfurled her wings to their full breadth, allowing the cold, thin air to buffet against the sea-green folds. Like suddenly being yanked backwards from behind, her pace slowed until she was gliding.

The darkness dragoon turned her head to look over her ornately protected shoulder for any sign of Liora. Relief, and a sense of utter breathlessness overtook Remona when she did.

Liora was following not far behind her, though it looked like she'd managed to fly out from the start, seeing as her multicolored, iridescent wings were flapping steadily. With each motion, back-lighted by the pale sun, a shimmer of rainbow colors danced off in all directions from Liora's wings, mixed in with pearly white flashes from the glean of her snow-hued armor. It took her a moment to realize it, but trailing up towards Liora on the direct path that she'd fallen, streaks of black energy were still lingering from Remona's own armor. The two displays of dragoon energy coalesced together at certain intervals, plaiting the sky light and dark in patches. It was an amazing sight, but neither dragoon had the time to enjoy it.

A few hundred feet above them, a cacophony of angered shouts, battle cries, and energy manifestations preceded the multitude of winglies that poured from the square fortress into the evening air after them. Remona could also faintly make out several elves standing on the ledges of the daunting garrison and she knew that while they couldn't fly, they were still within spell range of the dragoon pair.

Liora's face was a stark contrast to her serene armor. "Remona," she called with unease, "Do you have any idea where we are? I don't recognize anything," she admitted, sharing Remona's sense of misdirection.

"We need to get closer to the ground before we worry about anything," the darkness dragoon answered, taking heed of Rose's earlier warning. "And we're also still in range of the elves. Here, tuck you wings and follow me," she instructed, an idea forming.

Liora nodded once in understanding and pulled her shimmering wings into her body, wrapping the edges around her armor for additional self-defense as she fell. Likewise, Remona promptly rescinded her own wings and placed them similarly around her own armor and appendages. Streamlined and weighted by their armor, metallic weapons, and bodies the two dragoons plummeted swiftly towards the ground, safely outdistancing the magic of the elves, but the plethora of winglies decided to replicate their strategy and were closing the space quickly.

Objects and colors started to blur by and steadily become larger until at last Remona could make out minute details on the ground below. The good news was that they were still in Furni, as apparent by the multiple clusters of charred buildings and ash-laden ground. The bad news was there would be absolutely nowhere discreet to land that couldn't be seen from above. Every building within eyeshot had been toppled or flattened into ruin along with the now dry canals and leveled patches of timberline. Remona scowled. They could run, or fly, as the case would be until their wings gave out, but what good would it be when they couldn't escape their enemies? Fighting was quickly looking like their only chance of escape.

"No," Rose reprimanded, this time aloud. "You don't have the energy or the training for that! Aerial combat, especially magical combat midflight, is extremely complicated and requires tremendous focus. You'll lose your transformation," the ghost declared with certainty.

"Well what would you have me do?" Remona snapped, sucking in a deep breath of air as she fell. "We can't just land and hide! Those winglies are almost on top of us and might start-"

Remona's tactile senses alerted her to the heat just mere instants before the impact would have occurred. She rolled her body to the right and allowed a sizeable fireball to careen past. The first was followed by instantaneously by a second, which she also narrowly avoided, and above her Liora deflected an ice bolt with the heel of her boot and then a second and third with the tip of her long bow, which she'd pulled out from underneath her wings.

Remona managed a half-glance upward at their opposition and she exhaled deeply. The winglies were lining up in a wall above them, preparing to fire simultaneously. Working together, they had created a sizeable trajectory that wouldn't be easy to dodge. They couldn't continue their path straight for the ground without being caught in the barrage of magic, they could only escape to the left or right, with the left being closer. However, as Remona noted with dismay, if she and Liora tried to escape out to the side, the other side of the wingly line could close in behind them and effectively give them only one direction to go.

"One direction is better than none," Rose insisted starkly from somewhere Remona had yet to determine. "Fly into the heart of the city, which is to the left," the ghost continued, obviously formulating a strategy to aid the beleaguered teenagers. "Find a huge crowd of people, land as best you can and disengage your transformations. You'll blend in much better on the ground with everyone else and can hide much more easily among the ruins. The winglies will have to come to you on the ground, especially if you're scattered into a crowd around their command posts in the central sector. They likely won't blow their own check points up because that would put them at a structural disadvantage here and cause chaos for them. In the confusion the townspeople could easily loot them, take important artifacts or even take back some of the city if they could organize. You and Liora need to land soon, I can already feel your spirit energy draining fast in here," Rose admonished.

"Rose, a dumb question," Remona snorted irritably. "But where the heck are you anyway? You're not in the dragoon spirit itself anymore."

"You're right. I'm in your armor. The armor is the outward manifestation of the spirit energy within the dragon spirit. It left the orb if you will, and so did I, but that hardly matters now. Focus," Rose snapped. "Have Liora follow you out to the left and by the way, you're going to need your dark fire. It can protect you from most of the wingly magic above. Concentrate the flames on your back," Rose instructed.

"And how do I do that?" Remona asked hurriedly, looking above at the volley about to transpire. "I've always just sort of had the flames on before this."

"Just concentrate. Feel the energy in your armor and move it with your mind. Think about where you want it to go. Of course, it helps fuel the flames if you're emotional," Rose added.

"So what are you suggesting?" Remona growled.

"Get angry," Rose supplied. "Angry, or frightened. Those two are the most powerful, and if I were you, I'd really try not to be afraid. Fear makes it much harder to focus."

Remona snorted, recalling her prior mental training from Rose as the two of them attempted to train Liora back in Neet. "Just like becoming a dragoon in the first place, eh?" she mumbled under her breath.

"Yes," the unseen apparition agreed.

"Well," Remona scoffed, "at least that part is easy enough. I'm already pretty irritated as is." Concentrating on the situation at hand, and focusing keenly on her rapidly expanding hatred for her enemies, the darkness dragoon felt her emotions start to manifest as a surge of energy racing around inside her armor. Following her invisible mentor's instructions, Remona directed the swell of spirit energy into her back and willed it to envelope the area overhead. She could physically feel the dark flame as it started to jettison from her midnight armor; as she did so a candid concern passed through Remona's mind. She had no idea if two elementally conflicting dragoons could harm each other with their magic accidentally. She had no time to ask Rose, so she decided on another practical course of action for the moment.

"Hey Liora," Remona quickly warned her dragoon compatriot above as the black flame flickered out into a steady blaze about five feet above them, " Fly underneath me, I don't want you to get burned."

The thought seemed to have already occurred to the white-silver archer, whom was currently flying beside her before she'd even spoken and angled to descend.

"Yeah, I thought of that too the second I saw you start to light up," Liora assured her as she dropped her dazzling white frame beneath Remona's dragoon body. "Well," she added with humor despite the gravity of the situation, "I guess technically I should have said 'darken' up."

Remona smiled, exhaling a burst of amused air from her mouth. Not quite a laugh, she was still too tense for that. A stray ice bolt clinked across the back of Remona's breastplate, just underneath her wing joints, one of the only spots not wreathed in inky flame, and broke into icy dust. Though the magic was rendered harmless by her dragoon armor, it was all the reminder to concentrate that the darkness dragoon needed. She moved her corporeal frustrations to blanket her entire back, including her feet, just as the rain of magic missiles poured down upon them.

Remona didn't feel the impact of anything physical as the various elements of magic passed into the black blaze above and were negated by the powerful flames into nothing. Below her, shielded from harm like before, Liora scanned the ground. Every few seconds though, the gleaming white dragoon would shoot a glance above her around Remona's armored body and towering flames, toward the wall of winglies attacking them. Her hands played across her metallic bow uncertainly; she was obviously torn between landing and attacking like Remona had been herself.

"We need to fly left," Remona informed, "to the center of the city and land. We'll blend in better and they won't blast their bases apart looking for us if they're smart," she finished, passing along Rose's advice.

"Who said anything about them being smart?" Liora replied with uncharacteristic sarcasm. "You're right, from a tactical standpoint that does make sense," she concurred, "but I don't think we should," Liora finished as a shiver passed along through her entire body and rippled out to the very tips of her beaming white wings.

"Why's that?" Remona asked as the two dragoons were swiftly approaching the left end of the wingly line. Maybe it was the supernatural connection between the dragoon spirits like so many other instances before, but the moment Liora had voiced her unease, Remona started to feel dread through the core of her being as well.

"Remona I have a really terrible feeling about it," Liora admitted with blunt sincerity. "Like something's about to go horribly wrong if we do."

"It's not just you," Remona determined as a creeping sense of foreboding passed over her entire body, starting from the center of her sapphire armor and permeating outwards through all the rest at an alarming rate. "Our dragoon spirits are warning us," she deduced with seriousness. "Rose...?" Remona whispered hesitantly under the mass of whipping air, crackling raven fire, and wingly magic around them.

"I felt it too, just now," the ghost responded grimly. "You should always listen to your dragoon spirits, they're never wrong. Land here, and get ready to do exactly as I tell you. You and Liora are going to have to fight your way out of this and the quickest way will be to use your dragoon magic."

"Let's land here," Liora suggested, virtually reading Remona's mind. " I think between the two of us, we can take these guys no problem," she furthered, beaming across her entire dragoon self with light and confidence.

"Let's do it," Remona asserted, following the white-silver archer as she tipped her flight pattern toward the ashen ground. They were nearly there when several patches of black mist materialized around them, directly where they intended to go. Remona felt her heart give tense jerk in her chest as the swirls solidified into dark elves.

Liora was the closest to the ground, and as such, the nearest to their new opponents. One actually grabbed her armored foot as he appeared, though it was the last move he'd ever make. Instinctively protecting herself, Liora fired a rainbow arrow into his face that vaporized the foolish creature into nothing, not even a wisp of smoke, before shining its way downfield through three more unsuspecting newcomers. Not missing a beat, Liora stopped midair, turned to the left and fired three more shimmering shots from her dragoon bow, decimating twelve more elves to an untimely end.

Remona herself was forced to twist awkwardly as she attempted to land, substituting her dark rapier for her feet. Her sapphire blade left a dark trail as she sliced the elf obscuring her space cleanly in half. Bluish blood sprayed into the air and onto another elf in the previous one's close proximity. This one lashed out at Remona's feet as she hovered above him with a serrated, black knife. The edge of the enchanted metal scrapped violently against her dark boots, though after the resulting spark, it didn't so much as leave a dent. The magical malice contained in the blade was also absorbed by the darkness armor, and as the impure element swept across her foot, it was cleansed into a corrosive black mist. Remona dispatched the transformed magic back into the elf's face with a savage kick, and as her magic made contact, it dissolved his face away.

Using her momentary, unrestricted space, Remona spun a tight circle, still flying just a foot or so above the ground. Their situation was rapidly becoming dire. Several dozen elves were starting to appear, vastly outnumbering the two dragoons and more were coming every second. How were they getting here so fast? These huge numbers must have been coming from inside the city itself, there weren't this many of them present in the tower to begin with. A well-placed strike from an elven arrow prompted Remona to lift back into the sky, just as two more elves materialized directly under her feet. She opened her wings and flapped hard, buffeting the two onto the ground as she regained altitude. She summoned a portion of the black fire from her back into her palm and threw two black fireballs into the ground, spraying dirt and partially-melted rock everywhere. The distraction allowed her to safely move out of arm's reach in the air.

Likewise, Liora also had been forced to ascend back into the open area above the ground. The two hovered within inches of each other, each readying their dragoon weapons protectively.

"I think you've already noticed," Remona growled with discontent, "but we can't land here."

"We can't go up either," Liora breathed tightly, referencing the line of winglies regrouping and closing in from above.

"Great," Remona hissed, feeling the nervous tension start to lock in every fiber of her being. "All we need now is-"

"Don't say it," Liora reprimanded with a sharp exhale. "You get what you ask for," she continued with a grimace as a black blur four times the size of the rest appeared below them.

"You truly thought that you were leaving so soon?" General Ziran taunted from within the black mass that had yet to coalesce.

"Especially when we've just gotten started," the voice of the wingly, Bardel mocked from above as he appeared in the center of the wingly line.

"Remona..." Liora alerted with worry, eyeing the line of elves starting to take a uniform aim with black magic. Soon after speaking, Liora winced visibly from where she flew in place below Remona. Remona could see the edges of her wings begin to twitch. She was getting tired, and wouldn't be able to handle much more. Neither, Remona noticed with inward distain as a severe and excruciating cramp sprang to life within her upper back, would she.

"_Rose, if we're going to do this, we'd better do it now,_" Remona cried internally. "_Tell me how!"_ she pleaded, feeling the searing pain that was starting to break her concentration.

"_It's too late for that now, you need to get as far out as you can,"_ Rose insisted, though she was still calm somehow.

_ "But you said we needed to-"_ Remona reminded in her mind, starting to fidget against the pain.

_"The plan's changed. There are too many of them and it's like I thought. You two don't have the energy to keep your dragoon forms for much longer. You'll pass out if you try and use magic with the way you're struggling now. You both need to fly hard and fast out of here. Get to the central sector, we'll deal with whatever comes when it happens_," Rose's voice asserted in Remona's mind.

"Forget this," Remona spat, trying her best to be nonchalant. "We break to the left, and then we have to-". She was suddenly interrupted by an enormous mass of black energy, as the elves fired simultaneously amidst their preoccupation.

"Take the top!" Remona ordered in a breath as she lunged down and locked her armored elbow into Liora's, turning them both as she rolled downwards. Moving her dark fire as she did so, Remona threw the ebony flames out in front of herself in a semi-circular shield. The flames weren't nearly as dark as they'd been just a few minutes ago, and the darkness dragoon knew they only contained about half the energy. Nevertheless, her powers didn't fail her. Her fire shield absorbed the baleful volley and up above her, still looped through her elbow with one hand, Liora had summoned three, very broad beams of light onto her string and fired at once. The interlocking multicolored rays of light formed a type of glistening barrier and provided cover from the winglies attacking from above.

Neither dragoon needed to be told what to do next. They hastily disentangled their arms from each other and rocketed left, flying free of the cluster of opponents in a matter of seconds.

"Thanks for that," Liora said with gratitude as the taller ruins of central Furni speed into view.

"That worked both ways. You had my back too," Remona reminded as she turned over her shoulder to keep an eye on their enemies. She stopped flying the moment she did so, stunned so greatly that she almost fell from the sky. "What the devildom!?" she breathed in astonished disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Liora asked urgently, turning around to see for herself. Liora's gentle brown eyes expanded nearly twice the size they were before. Not a single opponent was chasing them. Behind them some several hundred feet, the coalition of winglies and elves seemed to be rooted where they stood, watching the two dragoons fade into the distance.

The dread feeling was back in Remona's gut as her wings began to spasm around the joints. "They're not chasing us," she observed quietly. "You're right, something's really, really wrong."

"Logically," Liora began with a tremble starting to creep into her normally steady voice, "it can only mean one thing."

"And what's that?" Remona asked, genuinely not wanting to know the answer.

"Remona did you ever read that old battle classic 'Silence before the Sleep' in the library back home?" Liora continued grimly as her left leg started to twitch. Liora looked to Remona like she was starting to struggle under the weight of her armor.

"No," Remona remarked plainly, gripping her left wing around the base with her armored hand in an attempt to quiet the cramps.

"Well, to make a long story short, the enemy army, in one of the major battles, let two of the good king's best knights ride away from a dangerous situation without harming them," she explained.

"Sounds stupid," Remona grunted, scanning the deserted ruins of the city below with rising suspicions that evoked a slow, nervous rhythm from her heart. "Why not just finish them?" she asked, trying not to be irritated with the fact Liora was telling her a stupid story in the middle of a crisis situation. "There isn't anyone here..." Remona announced gravely, noticing that literally the busiest sector of the city now resembled the ruins of Neet in the fact that not a single entity was walking around on the ground below. Not an elf, not a wingly, and no humans at all...

"There wouldn't be," Liora remarked knowingly. "In the book, the two knights thought they'd escaped the skirmish, but in all reality the evil commander sent his strongest and most deadly creations to finish them off when they thought they were safe."

Remona scowled and dropped a few inches, fighting with herself to focus. "What was it you said to me," the darkness dragoon repeated sourly. "You get what you ask for? Well," she breathed, scanning the area in anticipation, "Where the devildom are those bark-ridden bastards?"

Liora's expression gave the answer away moments before she even had time to yell. "WATCH OUT!" she screamed and in a blur of white metal, she surged through the air and tackled Remona around the waist, crashing them both roughly into a tall building.

A gargantuan dark shadow overcast the pair and a tumultuous noise resounded as a massive, branch-like limb crashed into the stone ruin above them completely obliterating the top of the once-grand structure. Stones large enough to be the foundations of a castle fell down in all directions like deadly rain and fine clay powder blanketed the air in an opaque white mist.

Beaming like the sun due to her innate element, Remona could vaguely distinguish Liora's outline in the duller white haze. She only had sight of her for a moment, however, before the swirling debris and a stray rock forced the two apart. Remona choked as she inhaled a mouthful of chalky dust trying to call out to Liora. Coughing, as it turned out, was a terrible mistake.

Remona felt the sheer downward pressure and roar of wind as the tree-thing attacking them swiped downward through the smoky screen, aiming for the sound her coughs. There was nowhere to go; the creature was so massive that she wouldn't be able to dart around it in time.

"There's a window to your left!" Rose announced hurriedly, "Go into the building and fly out the other side!"

"What about Liora?!" Remona rasped in concern as she groped along the stone wall to her left and found the hole.

"She's fine for right now! Move it!" the ghost cried out quickly from inside Remona's armor.

Remona swung one leg through the opening, trusting more to her sense of touch than anything before folding the rest of her body through the cramped space. She raked one of her wings roughly as she forced herself to move through the small space much more quickly than she should, sending shockwaves of pain and disorientation through her already struggling mind. Instinct took over in the following instants and Remona lurched forward, kicking off from the masked floor and into the air. She flew blindly in a straight direction; luckily she managed to clear the opposite window Rose had said was there just in time. A vacuuming sensation almost sucked Remona downwards as the strike from the tree-monster completely destroyed the ruin of the building she'd been in.

Remona flapped fiercely, determined to escape the sudden current and managed to pull free, shaking off a majority of the thick layer of white dust as she did so. The way ahead looked immediately clear, so that's where Remona flew, though her eyes darted in all directions, searching for Liora.

Fortunately, her fellow dragoon found her. "You stick out like a sore thumb with that stuff all over you," Liora remarked, soaring in to rejoin her from around the corner of another ruin. "That was close Remona," her friend added seriously immediately thereafter. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, for now," the darkness dragoon responded, though a little shaken. "Any ideas on how to take that thing out?"

The dubious look on Liora's face almost shattered what was left of Remona's hopes. "Nothing immediately comes to mind. I doubt even our weapons can harm that thing," she replied, turning her white bow over in her hand and glancing at it with skepticism.

"This is ridiculous," Remona spat. "We're dragoons. If our weapons can't harm that thing then what good are they?!"

"Maybe it's just me," Liora answered with a depressive voice.

"What do you mean?" Remona snapped quickly as the two made their way towards a shaded alley between two buildings.

"When I lost sight of you, I tried to shoot the thing. The arrow hit it and bounced off. The thing acted like it didn't even notice," she admitted.

"Maybe that's because your magic was meant to be more defensive anyway," Remona offered, not quite sure how she knew what she'd just spoken.

Liora sighed. "Yes, that's true. Although, I have the feeling I do have _some_ offensive powers like yours," she confessed with a twinge of jealousy, looking sideways at Remona as they both struggled to move forward, "but I don't have any idea what they are or how to use them right now."

"Well maybe I can cut the damn thing in half then, or burn it to a crisp, since my current abilities are offensive," Remona asserted, though she struggled to lift her sword arm.

"You're going to try it?" Liora questioned, concern plastered all over her countenance.

"No," Remona sighed, weariness and energizing anger conflicting within her. "I hate to say it, but I don't think I can right now."

"That makes two of us," Liora agreed. "I'll say this about those things though," the dragoon archer scoffed. "They're not very bright are they?" she asked, looking behind them at the enormous creature that was currently stomping the building Remona had just escaped flat.

"That's good for us," Remona snorted. "Ouch!" she hissed as she ran into something hard while looking backwards. A loud, disgruntled screech told her that she'd just made another serious mistake.

The ground shook as the second monstrosity they'd failed to notice took a large step forward, swatting at the pair of them. One monstrous limb was aimed for Liora, and the second for Remona.

"Speaking of not very bright," Remona hissed, cursing herself.

"It blends in," Liora remarked curtly, though not without a twinge of fear. True enough, the second tree-thing was a dull grey in contrast to the first which was a muted brown. Camouflaged against a filthy building and the ashy ground, in the fading twilight, the two hadn't been able to distinguish the creature from the building next to it.

"Switch!" Liora suggested in a single gasp and the two dragoons swiftly flew across the monster's body in opposite directions. As Liora had hoped, the creature was disoriented and confused by their sudden change in path and crossed it's arms trying to chase each of them down. It missed the dragoon duo, now on either side of the beast, but it did destroy a small house as it came down.

Enraged, the monster threw a sonic scream into the night, catching the attention of its brown fellow. Faster than either dragoon would have thought possible, the creature rolled on its root-like legs, leveling a trail of ruins flat, as it rapidly closed the distance between them.

Liora pointed upwards, her white armor shining against the darkening sky as the two tree-creatures took aim for another blow. Remona grinned momentarily, getting her drift, though the smile quickly became a pained outcry as she tried to fly upward. Bubbles of light were bursting behind her eyes and everything on her body, armor, flesh, and even hair felt like it was composed of lead.

Pressing on every inch of willpower she had left, Remona climbed parallel to Liora until both dragoons were head-height next to one of the monsters. Remona shivered as she positioned herself next to the creature's dead, hollow eye on the right side. Caught in the behemoth's gaze as she moved into position, Remona remembered what Rose had told her once about looking into someone's eyes for their intentions. She wondered now if the same thing was true for abominations like this one. She pondered, for the briefest of moments, if the thing had a soul. As the darkness dragoon stared it down, black nothing, comparable to a lifeless, bottomless pit stared back. This creature was like a void. Empty and cold. Remona was sure that the monster held no emotions other than a ravenous hunger; a desire to consume all life...and it was empowered in every part to carry out that yearning. It was a grotesque realization, one that sent pinpricks of revulsion down Remona's spine, even underneath her armor. Then, at the worst possible time imaginable, she received a vision.

*FLASH*

A hysterical woman was sobbing in a corner of what appeared to be a ruined building. The surroundings were small and confined, splintered wooden rafters littered the dirt floor, which was strewn with various broken objects and straw from thatching that had fallen through the destroyed roof. It must have still been daylight outside, because there were no candles, or braziers, and yet the obliterated room was brightly lit.

Someone, whoever Remona was seeing through, approached the crying woman. She was young, her skin was smooth and had a youthful glow. Her hair underneath her small, homely cap was a mild orange and tucked into tight curls. She was dressed simply, in well-worn brown linen. This woman was obviously a commoner, and judging by the simplicity of her garments, this person existed a very long time ago.

The woman noticed Remona come in and turned her tear-stained face to her. She was visibly shaken, and quaking all over, though it seemed to have nothing to do with Remona's unidentified host. The woman actually calmed a fraction when she saw Remona come in.

"My husband..." she sobbed, "and my baby..." she choked in misery, pointing to the remains of a shattered crib. "They took them both! I..I was out to market when they came! WHY!?" the woman wailed in torment. "WHY WERE THEY TAKEN!? WHAT COULD THE DICTATOR POSSIBLY WANT WITH A POOR COMMONER'S HUMAN BABY!? WE WERE GOOD TO OUR MASTERS AND NEVER CAUSED ANY PROBLEMS!"

"Your husband they took because he fought back, I'd imagine. That's what they do to those who even lift a fingernail in opposition against them. My guess is that he fought to the last to protect your son," came the voice of Rose, though it was full of an uncharacteristic compassion. Whoever this woman was, Rose obviously felt sorry for her, judging just by the way she'd said her last sentence. It was so different from the often detached and calm voice Remona was used to hearing.

"...but...why?!" the woman repeated, turning on her knees to grab the top of what Remona recognized as Rose's knee-high blue boot.

"Because your son was destined to be very special to our kind," Rose explained, though with obvious overtones of pity for the suffering this woman was experiencing.

"He was only a baby, not two full months! We're poor," the woman hiccupped. "We have nothing. We bake our masters' bread! How special could he have been to anyone other than us?"

"He was destined to be a leader," a young man supplied for Rose. Remona/Rose turned to look at the young man, whom she recognized as having seen before. "We think, part of Emperor Diaz's personal council, and eventually...maybe even the emperor's successor," the young man, clothed in a simple mixture of green, concluded.

"That was just a conjecture, Syuveil," Rose/Remona reminded disapprovingly.

"She deserved to know," the young man responded with sincerity as he stared at the sobbing woman, obviously in pain himself.

The young mother looked dumbfounded, and Remona/Rose knew the woman didn't understand at all. She sighed and tried a different approach. "We know your wingly masters," Rose began with a clear and obvious distain for the word _masters_, "gave you an explanation. We need to know what they told you. Do you know where they took your son?"

The woman sniffled and shook her head, beginning to cry once more as she recalled the memory. "All they told me was that my husband was a traitor and rebelled against Master Carcea...they said that...that they'd sold my son. That's all they told me," she cried.

"But, that's not all you know, is it?" Rose/Remona asked, looking into the woman's puffy, red eyes. The way they were shifting to the floor every few seconds...she had to know something else. The woman remained silent, crying wordlessly for several moments, obviously terrified of something, though Remona/Rose knew not what.

The young man, Syuveil, crossed the floor and knelt down beside the grieving woman. He took her head gently in his hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. Then, looking her directly in the eyes he spoke very gently. It seemed that he knew this woman.

"Hannah, they have already taken everything from you. Why would you still protect their secrets? Is this what Christoph would have wanted?" he asked gingerly.

Tears leaked out of both of Hannah's eyes as she shook her head in Syuveil's hands. "No..." she whispered. "But they will kill me if they find out."

"Hannah," Syuveil tried again, not discouraged, "Do you honestly think that I would come back, in the middle of a militant wingly takeover of the town, just to ask you what happened, and then leave my friend of over ten years alone and scared at the mercy of those bastard monsters? Hannah," he soothed, moving to fully embrace the woman, "you know me better than that."

"You've been gone a long time, Syuveil," she breathed painfully, stilling in his embrace. "There were rumors when the winglies came for your father that you were..."

"You mentioned Melbu Frahma," Rose/Remona reminded the woman, though with patience. "When we first came in you said something about the dictator wanting your son. Is that what has you afraid? What brings him into this?"

The woman eyed the sword on Rose's waist, seemingly noticing it for the very first time after the interruption. "You're some type of warrior then?"

"Something of that nature, yes," Rose/Remona supplied simply. "And, so is Syuveil," Remona/Rose added, nodding at the man holding Hannah in his arms.

Hannah's eyes widened and she gently pushed back on Syuveil's shoulders so that she could look him over at arm's length. "Really? You'll have to forgive me, but it's hard to imagine," she said, looking him over skeptically with intermittent sniffles.

Syuveil smiled softly. "I know. Me, the scrawny bookworm as any type of fighter? But what Rose said is true. We're both warriors, and if you let me, I'll take you out of here after we're done. That's been my plan all along. I've wanted to rescue you and your family since the moment I left," he confessed.

Hannah's expression was a mixture of hurt and horror. "Syuveil, I don't know how you escaped the winglies the first time, but I very seriously doubt, warrior or no, you'll be so lucky twice. The guard in this town is five-fold what it used to be...what nonsense is that...freedom? Don't say such things...we're mere humans...there is no way we could ever stand up to the might of the winglies!"

"How do you think we got in here?" Rose/Remona sighed, seemingly frustrated with this woman's defeatist attitude. "We didn't teleport. We snuck in like normal humans and trust me," Rose/Remona asserted, tapping her rapier, "We can get out."

"So you're part of the rebellion...?" Hannah asked silently, afraid that somehow even speaking the words would be enough to kill her right on the spot.

Syuveil nodded, still in Hannah's grip. "Yes, we are. We can take you to one of the camps and you'll be safe there. Why are you so against this, Hannah?" Syuveil asked after she continued to shake her head. "Christoph wanted to join the rebellion ages before I did."

"And look where that got him!" she spat harshly and more tears streaked down her face.

"He died fighting for what meant the most to him, and I know without a doubt that it was you and your son. Christoph wanted a world where your son could grow up in peace and the three of you could live free from fear. You could all grow old together, and live the way you want to never being told that you're worthless and weak. It was his dream Hannah, and if only you believed like I do, you'd realize how close we are to achieving it! Oh Hannah, you have no idea what freedom is like...it's so wonderful! You don't have to be afraid of anyone; no one is there beating you, starving you, or trying to kill you because you displeased them. No one can sell your family members or send you continents away from each other. You go where you want, do what you want, and you're your own master. I can show you all of that, if you'll just let me," Syuveil promised passionately, and for a moment Remona/Rose wondered if in the past he and Hannah had been more than friends.

"I...want to believe Syuveil," she managed at last. "I really do...but I'm just so broken I don't know how."

A strange expression passed over Syuveil's face, one of mourning and then of strength. "I was exactly like you once," he whispered, "So I know how to make you believe." He pulled a green orb out from beneath his shirt and it sparked brightly to emerald life in his hands. He gently reached out through the light and placed Hannah's hands on top of his, so that they were holding the dragoon spirit together. For a few moments, it beamed like a jade star before Remona/Rose's sapphire spirit flashed to life also, ending both glows.

When it was over, Hannah nodded wordlessly, shocked but awed. Tears were falling down her face, though they weren't of pain anymore. They were tears of hope.

"I'll take you to the records," she declared after a few moments of staring at Syuveil and then at Remona/Rose in amazement.

Hannah got onto her feet and after a few minutes she lead them into a hallway, then pressed a stone in the wall to reveal a secret passage.

"I saw Master Carcea use this once, he didn't know I saw him. It leads into his personal archives," she explained as the trio walked down the hall. The clandestine passage led into a small room, where a dimly glowing shelf contained a multitude of small, illuminated spheres. Flickering within each, seemed to be some type of scenario.

"This is the one we want," Remona/Rose said, instinctively knowing which orb to take. Remona could feel the tug of the dragoon spirit on Rose's chest, and knew it was telling her what to do. Images flashed through Remona/Rose's mind, a magical message contained within the sphere. There was a wingly with ugly grey skin and dark red eyes sitting in an immense, golden chair lined with beaming glyphs. He was talking into the orb which Remona/Rose now held in her hand. Remona/Rose listened as he demanded Baron-Carcea-Jaethras give him the newborn son of two of their slaves. Melbu Frahma was brief in his message, he didn't say very much; only that the Baron would be compensated and that the child was to be delivered to Denningrad immediately. But it was what Frahma didn't say that struck Remona/Rose like an arrow to the heart. At the very end of his eerie mandate, Frahma's red eyes were the last image contained within the orb. They burned with malice, the only discernable feature in the otherwise soulless black void. Frahma willed the world to burn, all of it, all of life... and somehow the child was going to help him do it.

*FLASH*

"REMONA WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Liora screeched at the top of her lungs.

"Huh...I... what...?" the disoriented darkness dragoon mumbled to herself, hearing her friend's frenzied shouting as a blob of noise. The instantaneous change of scenery was difficult to adjust to, and without warning a black mass collided with her side. Remona was hurled indiscriminately through the air and slammed hard into what must have been another wall. She felt the clay crumble around the tremendous force of her body, and she careened through a second wall, before falling through an unstable floor when she finally skidded to a stop.

Stunned and in tremendous pain, she didn't realize that she fell directly into a group of terrified humans until they started screaming in panic. Random blurs of color streaked by in all directions as the hysterical people tried to leave the building they'd been in. Remona felt the earth shake from both directions, and heard the monsters before she saw them. The floor above her was suddenly not present anymore. In place of the ceiling that had just been wantonly bashed away, she could vaguely make out the gigantic limb of one of the tree beasts. Was she dreaming, or was this one black? That would mean there were three of them somehow instead of just two. What did it matter? She was so tired and in so much pain...even the trembling floor was somehow a comfort to her miserable being. She just wanted to lay there and go to sleep. Midnight blue light started to flash in her vision, one moment she had armor on her hands, the next she saw her own leather gloves. All around her was a terrible uproar and it sounded faintly to her fading ears like people were screaming. No...it sounded like they were dying... A tree-sized limb that looked like a hazy, leafy finger reached into the room, poking at her. In her addled state, she thought she saw pink veins in its leaves.

"GET UP! GET UP RIGHT NOW!" a commanding female voice shouted at her, drowning out all other sensations. Rose's voice, like a slap to the face, jarred Remona into motion.

She rolled to the right, sliding surprisingly easy across the floor through some type of fluid and through an opening in a wall. The wall as it turned out, lead outside. Remona plummeted several feet before she realized she was falling and out of reflex, she grabbed for a ledge she saw whiz by. She caught the precarious sill and managed to halt her fall, feeling suddenly wet, and cold.

Looking down, Remona realized she had a sizeable hole in her dragoon armor and she was bleeding badly from an injury that appeared to have gone in the front side of her left hip and out the back. Seeing the grave wound and feeling the liquid life draining from her body brought reality crashing back. Pain, exhaustion, and despair clung to the darkness dragon as tightly as she clung to the ledge of the half-destroyed tower. She gritted her teeth, trying desperately to hold on, knowing that she lacked the strength to fly if she fell.

"Rose!" she hissed with all the strength she could muster, hoping somehow the ghost would have an answer to get her out of this dire predicament.

"You're going to have to find the strength to fly down," the specter informed with a gravelly worry in her tone.

"Your voice isn't giving me much confidence," Remona shot back, beginning to feel panic well up in her chest as she started to lose her grip.

"This is a very bad situation," the ghost replied crisply. "While you were out, granted it wasn't very long, two more of these monsters made an appearance. There are four of them now, and it seems they've managed to heard you and Liora into the occupied portion of this sector. The creature that attacked you a moment ago just killed fifteen people when it ripped the top half of the building off," Rose declared with a grievous tone.

"And all because I blacked out," Remona hissed in anguish, both physical and mental. "Rose why the devildom did that happen!?" she thundered, anger starting to enter once more into the tremendous torment.

"You're beyond your limit," Rose replied, "and you're starting to lose focus and control. One of my more powerful memories overtook you. You need to FOCUS and sequester them! But right now you need to get to the ground and a healer. Focus on that first."

A sudden tremor, no doubt from the black beast searching for Remona, crumbled the ledge she was holding.

"Rose, I can't do this," Remona mumbled, on the verge of passing out as she fell toward the ground. She was so tired and in so much pain, she just didn't believe she could anymore.

"Concentrate and don't give up," Rose reminded as Remona struggled to lift her wings. She seemed to be trying to give Remona encouragement this time. "Remember that there is more at stake here than simply your life. If you die, so will many of these people, Liora, and your grandmother."

Through all of the hideous hurt, Rose's words pierced Remona to the core. An image of Aggie laughing happily echoed in her mind, and just that one, priceless image worked a miracle. The scholar Syuveil's words echoed in her mind alongside her grandmother's laugh. _I know how to make you believe_.

"That's right," Rose supported, somehow sensing her rekindled determination. "Victory starts in the mind. You've been in situations like this before and you've pulled through."

"Yeah," Remona breathed as she managed to turn herself in the air so she was falling face down. "But that ninja was a bitch."

"It would be humiliating to me to defeat a great warrior like that, and then lose to a tree," Rose added with sarcastic humor, though Remona could tell she was trying to lift her spirits.

"You're..telling...me" Remona grunted as she finally won over her fatigued muscles and regained her wings just inches before she would have collided with the ground. She slowed herself, and then touched down roughly, and stumbled onto her knees.

Her entire body suddenly jumped five feet into the air as the black tree-thing rounded the last building and sighted her. It screeched in triumph, somehow perhaps by predatory instinct, it knew she was fading fast.

Remona clutched at her exposed hip through the gap in her armor, cringing all the while when she saw the amount of her own crimson blood staining her fingers. Dragoon or no, ground or no, she was about to die.

"MOONLIGHT!" she heard what she thought was Liora's voice yell from somewhere.

A pale, blue light enveloped her entire body in a cylindrical beam. Mixed with small, nearly invisible threads of multicolored light, Remona looked up and noticed that this column extended into the heavens and seemed to be connected in the direction of the rising moon. The air around Remona began to warm pleasantly, soothing her aching muscles and even dispersing some of her other, internal pains. She started to relax, despite being cornered by a powerful monster. Strand by strand, the lights swirled together and became gold, twisting and winding their way into Remona's armor and her skin. The lights began to race faster and faster until suddenly the entire column erupted into a brilliant gold, with the liquid light washing down the beam like a waterfall. Being hit by this strange cascade of light was like being coated in honey without getting sticky. It was warm, soft, and flowed smoothly over her entire being. As the light hit her injury, it poured into the wound and closed it from the inside out, leaving her flesh new and unscarred. Whatever blood she'd lost also seemed to have somehow been restored to her veins by this healing light; she no longer felt weak or cold. Even her spirit seemed to have been recharged somewhat as the golden light faded into a star pattern at her feet before rescinding back toward the sky in a luminescent blue haze. She still felt tired and drained, but she didn't feel like the fatigue was killing her anymore.

Remona's restoration had the opposite effect on Liora. The white-silver dragoon's legs gave a feeble lurch before giving out from underneath her and she fell sideways off of a building she'd landed on to Remona's right. Liora fought through her fall with great difficulty like Remona had tried to do, but about ten feet above the ground, her entire body went limp.

Not caring an inch for the huge opponent before her, Remona launched into the air and raced across the ground, catching her fellow dragoon mere instants before she'd have struck the ashy earth. Liora was still conscious, it seemed, as Remona looked down at her friend in her arms, but she appeared to be paralyzed somehow. The white dragoon could only move her eyes and they flitted quickly between Remona and the black tree monster encroaching behind them.

Turning around, Remona knew they had nowhere to run to. The black creature was virtually on top of them, there was no way she'd be able to outmaneuver it, especially with Liora immobile in her arms. The grim realization set in. She was going to have to fight this thing. Somehow. The darkness dragoon set Liora gently down on the ground, prompting a surprised and almost frantic huff from her friend.

"Sit there for a minute and catch your breath," Remona instructed Liora, locking her eyes on the enormous opponent before them with determination. Anger and indignation boiled over every fiber of her body as the thing roared, rattling everything around them. No doubt it was sounding the chase to its three fellows close-by, or maybe it was just laughing at her... Laughing that something not even one tenth of its size was standing at its feet preparing to fight. And fight she would. Rage started to surpass all of her earlier fears and despair as she heard Liora try to struggle onto her feet behind her.

"No!" Liora rasped weakly, still struggling harder than ever to stand. "That thing went straight through your armor last time and our weapons can't hurt them! You'll be killed!" she tried to yell, but in her diminished state the shout came out as a squeak.

"Well, that could be a problem," Remona growled, focusing every inch of her brewing emotions toward the tree monstrosity. "Because this time I refuse to run away. I'm a dragoon," she seethed as she felt the beginnings of the black fire spark to life in her armor and across her skin. "The incarnation of a _dragon_! A dragon wouldn't run from a tree! Especially one that's already killed hundreds of people, almost killed me, and almost killed you," she snarled as her hatred and anger roared into a towering blaze around her entire body. "Add to that the simple fact that I'm tired of looking at this hideous thing!"

Liora stilled, staring at her friend and the mass of black flame she'd become in awe. Something about Remona's courage was inspiring, and what she'd said about being a dragoon was true. A dragoon should stand and fight, no matter what the odds. That was something her mother had always said too. And Remona was also right about these monsters being murdering abominations. The two of them had every reason to make a stand and Liora started to feel guilty for having been afraid earlier and having given in to despair. She sighed and clutched her bow tightly, though she still felt too weak to even lift a finger.

"Whatever you're going to do, I'd do it fast," Liora suggested, strength starting to come back into her voice that had nothing to do with the physical. "Those other things are going to be here soon, and the spell I used on you was a one-time deal. Remona...I don't think..." she admonished as she managed to finally lift her bow after a few more desperate tries, "that I have it in me to do that again without dying. At least, not right now."

" Don't worry, I don't plan on needing it," Remona assured, though through the mass of ebony fire, her voice was starting to become hauntingly distorted. It was deep and menacing and it sent shivers up Liora's spine. "Liora, I'd back up if you can," the darkness dragoon added. "If I have to, I'm going to burn this whole thing down."

Liora nodded as she moved herself onto her feet with resolution, fighting with herself the whole way. "I'll join you in a moment," the white dragoon promised as she staggered over to lean on a stray rock a short distance away, "after I catch my breath."

Remona nodded, though as she did so, the gigantic monster before them raised one of its root-ridden feet and made to stomp down on the area she was standing in.

"All of your attention needs to be in this fight, everything else is secondary right now and that includes Liora," Rose reminded sternly, concealed somewhere within the black haze Remona had shrouded herself with as Remona pushed off of her sore and tired legs into the air once more.

"Trust me," the younger dragoon assured as she launched herself through the air directly upwards, "it is."

"What are you planning to do?" Rose questioned with a calculating air in her voice as Remona closed in on the underside of the monster's 'foot'. "I highly doubt that even your magic would be enough to burn completely through to the other side."

"Don't worry, I'm not that naive," Remona snorted as she raised her arm and positioned her burning raven sword into the air directly overhead. "I don't need to go through it, I just need to give it a reminder that it can't step on me."

Remona inhaled sharply, preparing herself as the thing's gargantuan foot obscured everything else she could see. She hastily dodged to the right of one of the numerous root-like toes that was snaking toward her and then rolled out of the way of another. A third, wiggling vine the size of a small barge abruptly cut off her path toward the center of the monster's foot and Remona instinctively lashed out with a downward swipe of her sword.

The flame-encrusted rapier slammed into the appendage and ignited a small explosion of opaque black sparks as it skidded across the wooden surface that might as well have been made of unbreakable metal. The momentum of the skid brought the dragoon bearer of the blade along with it, and for a moment Remona was dragged down the length of the monster's toe before she slid to a halt. Remona bit her lip in frustration, trying hard not to become discouraged; Other than a small, luminescent scratch about as long as her body that was fading quickly into oblivion, the tree-creature was unharmed. Liora was right, their dragoon weapons, even when imbued with elemental magics, simply weren't strong enough to pierce through the creature's thickened hide.

"What are these things, Rose? Why can't we hurt them?" Remona hissed incredulously, looking around to reorient herself after the jarring skid over the enormous vine.

Glancing upward and realizing she only had a split second to enact her original plan and that the way was now clear, Remona resumed her midair sprint toward the center of the monster's foot. She pulled her sword back into position as Rose abruptly voiced her dissent.

"This is bad. Get out of here now," Rose demanded, sounding troubled like Remona had never heard from her before. "You can still make it if you change course now, get out from underneath this thing! What you're planning won't work!"

As if to reaffirm her spirit mentor's concerns, Remona felt her armor wrap more firmly around her, as if the darkness dragon was attempting to physically grab her in warning. After everything else that had happened, Remona knew better than to ignore Rose's advice. She changed course a split second away from colliding with the roof of the monster's foot and put all of her energy into flying parallel to it as the ground came menacingly closer from the opposing direction.

Remona held her breath nervously and only exhaled when she cleared the creature's foot an instant before impact. The resulting crash sent shockwaves of motion up from the ground and propelled the darkness dragoon unexpectedly higher into the air. A sudden drop in air pressure told her what was coming next. Remona swiftly tucked her wings, falling toward the ground and just underneath the seismic swipe of the tree-thing's 'arm'. Even though it missed, the creature continued with the momentum, unable to stop itself, and crashed through two already half-demolished ruins. Frantic and pain screams, like pinpricks of grisly noise, filtered through the black fire and enraged screeches into Remona's ears. There were people in these ruins and more of them had just died...

Readying herself to move again, Remona cried out to Rose. "Tell me what's going on!? Am I just too weak to hit this thing or what?!"

"It's not you," the ghost answered grimly. "You wouldn't be able to see it like I can because it's on the astral plane, but when you struck this monstrosity a second ago, your sword caused several spectral glyphs to appear that repelled your magic."

"Something's protecting it!" Remona breathed in shock.

"Yes and that something is extremely powerful. I don't have any idea what it is yet," Rose admonished.

"Is there any place on it that you don't think is protected?" Remona shot back, quickly reassessing the situation.

"I only got a brief look," Rose replied, "but since the magic is so powerful I would assume that whatever did this didn't do it half-ass. For now, you're going to have to retreat, as distasteful as that sounds."

Remona was inclined to agree with Rose at first but as she turned to make her way back to Liora an odd feeling washed over her. After a brief moment she realized that the dragoon spirit wasn't finished yet. For whatever reason, it was telling her to stay. It wanted her to stay and fight. Images flashed in her mind in rapid succession, though thankfully they were less like actual memories and more like instructions. Once finished, Remona knew what she had to do.

"Rose?" she prompted, though she was already decided and looking for Liora.

The ghost sighed. "I've been trying to get you to avoid that from the start, but it seems I'm being overruled. Do what you need to do, but be aware of what's going to happen afterwards. You've only got about a minute or so left and Liora has even less."

Yet another series of harsh cramps seized the muscles in Remona's upper back as she searched the ground for Liora. Remona found her fellow dragoon a few feet from where she'd been originally observing the battle, however she appeared to be hunched over a severely injured and unconscious woman.

"Tell me she's not..." Remona grumbled, afraid for a moment that her friend was using her dragoon magic, but she was relieved as she swooped in, to see Liora was merely pressing a cloth to the side of the woman's face.

"What are you doing?" Remona asked urgently, causing Liora to glance up, seemingly startled by the dark shadow she cast.

"She fell out of a window a moment ago," Liora referenced with a wince. "I caught her. What else was I supposed to do? I can't heal her with my magic, and I can't just leave her here."

"Leave her here for a minute," Remona insisted, slightly cold. They simply did not have time to be worrying about the fate of one, random person. "I need you and ugly's coming in fast."

The reluctance was clear all over Liora's face, but she complied without further questions. "I'm right behind you."

"Good. This thing's shielded, that's why we can't leave a mark. I'm going to give us an opening and I need you to-" Remona started, but wasn't able to finish. The tree-monster was reaching for them.

"Do it now," Rose prompted.

Using the very last threads of her energy, Remona flew into the air, connecting the energy within her dragoon armor to the energy within her sword. Once she could feel the firm connection, she flipped midair, gaining momentum, and hurled the sapphire blade toward the middle of the monster's outstretched arm.

"ASTRAL DRAIN!" she thundered, taking command of her new dragoon magic by announcing its name.

As expected, the blade halted several feet away from the creature, as if caught an invisible shield. Concentrating as she hovered in place, Remona began to tug at the sword with her mind. The ornate blue metal began to burn with dark intensity as the raven flames already present roared to an inferno, tearing away at whatever magical protection this beast had. Bit by bit, she felt the sword break through the astral dimension into the monster's defenses. Now was the time. Using the sword as a channel, she began to pull on the immense amount of life energy the beast possessed. The energy came when summoned and when vacuumed through dimensions and onto the sword, it began to glow brightly with a mixture of blue, green, and yellow light.

The multicolored composite of lights flowed from the sword onto Remona's armor where it swirled in an array of vibrant color around her body, ready for either direction or release.

"Why don't you give something back to the people you're destroying, bastard," Remona said with a scowl as she looked upon the unconscious woman and Liora, both of whom were standing below. Ordering the vampiric energy she'd just acquired with ease, Remona poured a stream of light over both of them. The effects were immediate. Like Liora's light had done, Remona's magic washed over the unnamed woman's injuries and healed them from the inside out. Remona also noted with some surprise that a small scratch on her arm she hadn't been aware of before healed as well. Marveling for a moment, she looked at Liora and sure enough, it seemed that her magic even affected her fellow dragoon as well. Like Liora's light magic had done for her, Remona's dark healing magic seemed to restore some of Liora's stamina. She stood up straight, and prepared herself for her part of this new mission.

The plasmic combination of healing lights withdrew, and as it did so, Remona felt her connection into the monster's shield begin to break. She summoned her sword back to her hand and gave it a swish to release the tension in her wrist.

She wished she hadn't. As Liora moved into position, a new fatigue, even more fierce than her last set in. Remona actually fell from the sky, unable to sustain her own flight any longer and crashed to the ground in a heap of wings and armor. She had just enough control left to avoid falling flat on top of the woman she's just healed, whom was now sitting up and staring around herself and the scene before her in terrified bewilderment.

She screamed as Remona landed beside her, somehow still on fire though her energy was almost completely gone. Unable to form a coherent sentence, the woman gawked at the fallen dragoon in horror for several moments before returning to her feet and running away. Not to say Remona blamed her. She wasn't entirely sure the woman could see anything of her actual self through the dark fire.

Above, Remona saw Liora lift into the air, undoubtedly using the last of her strength as well. She took aim, focusing on the glowing hole that Remona's enchanted sword had exposed. She loosed the rainbow arrow into the gap just before the shield repaired itself and in that instant, the monstrosity howled in agony. There was an explosion of shimmering light as several of its hand-like branches were blown completely off in a magnificent display of smoldering wood, though it was hazy to Remona, whose vision was fading fast.

A sizable chunk of petrified, grey wood fell towards Remona, though she knew she didn't have the energy to move, let alone dodge. Luckily, as the newly severed mass fell, the part on route for Remona's body was incinerated into harmless, charred flakes by the dark blaze dying out around her. The remaining portion landed with a thud next to her that rocked her limp body into the air.

A horrified yelp and a sapphire flash from her dragoon spirit dropped what was left of her conscious emotions into her feet. Above her, Remona could make out the towering forms of the other three, perfectly intact monsters, and though they'd managed to give the black one an injury to remember, it too, was still alive and dangerous.

Remona's heart sank as she watched her fellow dragoon narrowly avoid a deadly blow from one just to be swatted into the path of another. Liora twisted, trying her best to avoid the blow, but it savagely clipped one of her wings and she staggered in the air, about to fall. She wouldn't be able to dodge the next one, nor would she be able to fly away or fight back in any way with as weak as she was. In a moment, it was going to be over.

The dragoon spirits were right. This whole attempted rescue had gone horribly wrong. They'd gained one, insignificant bit of information and at what cost? Both of them were done for, unless by some miracle, they could change this horrible twist of fate.

Remona didn't know if Rose said something or if she just imagined it, but from somewhere unknown she heard someone say _Dragoons alone can challenge fate_.

As soon as the disembodied voice faded, Remona realized that she was staring at the remains of whatever part of the tree-thing she and Liora had managed to blow off and that the opposite end of dead wood was laying in the crushed ruins of an old house. Inside the house, were several crates marked 'flammable' in bright, bold letters, and those crates were within range of the cluster of the other monsters entrapping Liora.

Remona fought with herself using more determination than she'd ever had in her entire life to overcome the defeating tired she felt. She moved her dark gauntlet in front of her face and actually smiled when she realized that there was still a solitary flicker of midnight fire left. Well, she had told Liora she'd burn the whole thing down...

She rolled her wrist, expelling the last tendril of fire into the wooden remains. The chain reaction was instantaneous and in a matter of seconds, everything within eyesight was ablaze with fire darker than midnight. She wanted to know what happened next, to make sure that Liora was going to be alright, but she simply did not have the energy. She finally lost the battle against her willpower and felt her eyes close before she faded into a blackness that welcomed her with open arms.

Everything was a blur...noises...colors...objects...and somewhere within the vague, unformed world she saw three bright and distinct silver flashes. The silver came before the shadow. Someone, or something stood over her, a mass of tall black. There was a soft swishing sound, and then black became smaller...closer. She felt someone's soft breath cross her skin, and she woozily recalled that maybe that's where her ear should have been. Or was it her nose? She was so disoriented and nothing made sense. Either way, someone started speaking. The words were jarbles at first as she struggled to move in what she thought was the direction of the black shadow. Something pressed her down, a part of the shadow, and it stilled her. She didn't have the strength or understanding to fight back. Lying motionless, all her energy directed into listening, the sounds shaped into words, and the words refined into sentences that she could then understand.

"You really outdid yourself," came a smooth male voice, " and it was a spectacular display. I have to admit, when those things cornered you and your friend, I thought you'd both met your end. Though me of all people... I should have known better," the unknown voice continued, though something at the very edge of Remona's mind thought she might know him from somewhere. Hell, maybe he was someone Rose knew from somewhere. There was no telling, she scoffed inwardly, trying to focus and clear her thoughts.

Remona opened her eyes, squinting through the blobs of shapelessness until at last she could make out an extremely distorted outline of a hooded cloak. The man in the cloak was kneeling next to her and he reached out with a covered sleeve, brushing his hand slightly against her neck, but mostly onto her dragoon spirit.

"Dragoons are creatures of legend after all...creatures of resilience," the man furthered, touching the dormant stone in her choker carefully, as though it might bite him at any second.

"Who. . . are . . . you?" Remona managed to mumble, though she could do little else and tension was mounting in her chest.

"You don't need to know," the man responded plainly. "In fact, there are a few more things you won't be needing either," he added with a cool, reserved air and before Remona could stop him, the hooded man removed her velvet choker, taking the lifeless dragoon spirit with it.

Horror set in to every fiber of her being and Remona tried to call for Rose, Liora, or anyone else she thought could help her but all that came out was a raspy, faint cough. To her further mortification, the man walked a few steps and bent over, causing a metallic ring to pass through the air as he picked up what must have been her rapier on the ground nearby.

She struggled to do something, anything, at all as the man mysteriously began walking away into the background blur of dark colors. She failed miserably and in a blink, she was out just as cold and alone as before.


End file.
